Nalo
by authorintraining7
Summary: Major AU. It was very foolish, even he knew this, to feel like he had to be on an assignment or a mission to go to the island, but, to him, Hawaii wasn't just an island, or a state, or a popular place to vacation. It was his past. It was his everything.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I, authorintraining7, do not own anything of Hawaii Five-0 (both the newer series and the original series), and I am not profitting from this fanfiction. I also do not own anything of Bon Jovi's, and I am not profitting from the use of his name and his song title mentioned in this chapter._

Danny laid in bed with hopeless dread. It was ten in the morning. That's right. Ten. Ten in the morning. Any decent person would have gotten through half of his morning by now, but not him. What made this situation all the more pathetic was that this had been his routine for almost a month. Danny hated this routine, hated it with a passionate vengeance, yet he didn't seem to have the nerve, let alone the will, to fight this disgusting habit. Hawaii had taken his rock-hard motivation and determination and slowly, with sick enjoyment, crumbled it under its lazy, fat fingers. He had always resented Hawaii, but, now, after swallowing him up and not having the nerve to spit him out, Danny despised Hawaii.

What made everything worse was that he was surrounded by Hawaii. Everywhere he turned, everywhere he glanced, there was Hawaii. There was a palm tree, there was an ocean, there was that stupid volcano-his apartment, his Hawaii-free apartment, was starting to smell like Hawaii. Danny wasn't sure how that was possible, considering the hours he had spent over the last month spraying every inch of his apartment with Febreeze, but, as he remained in bed, he could even smell Hawaii in his comforter; his New Jersey comforter; the one that was supposed to reek of New Jersey.

Danny was giving up. He could feel it in his fiery soul. His normal-person routine had died, his New Jersey-Hawaiian apartment was morphing itself back into a Hawaiian-Hawaiian apartment, and, just the other day, he forgot an entire lyric to his favorite Bon Jovi song, _Have a Nice Day_.

This island was eating him alive, and taking its sadistic time with it.

If it wasn't for his precious, ignorant eight-year-old daughter, who was dragged to this awful island by her mother and new, rich, and oddly shiny step father and then brainwashed into loving said awful island, Danny would have swam back to the mainland months ago. At last, his circumstances were his circumstances, and, if being with his Gracie meant he had to sacrifice his soul to a large rock in the middle of the ocean, so be it.

That didn't mean he had to like it though.

With acceptance of his depressing and devastating fate, Danny plopped the side of his head down on his pillow and stared at his clock.

_10: 25 AM_

Danny didn't bother to cringe. He had expected his sloppy routine to worsen over time. Nevertheless, he did feel his heart unnaturally jump in his chest for a beating second. Then it returned to its complacent rhythm.

With a strength Danny didn't think he had in him, he forced himself up into a sitting position.

He didn't want to admit that getting fired from the Honolulu Police Department was getting to him, but, as he picked up his Hawaii-smelling comforter and threw it in his over-flowing laundry basket, Danny was beginning to realize his overwhelming hate for this island was getting to be unhealthy for his mental state. He did hate Hawaii, he would murder the island if that was at all possible, but it wasn't until after his stupid, arrogant, self-absorbed, idiotic, worthless, fat, dumb, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid chief had fired him that he really began to mean the roaring rants he gave about said hate for said state. If it were at all possible, Danny would go back in time and murder Captain Cook, the white, over-achieving, idiotic, stupid, stupid, stupid discoverer of Hawaii.

Danny, an emotionless expression of acceptance on his face, walked with a slump through his bare hallway and into his kitchen/living room/guest bedroom. His eyes scanned over the one-room-wonder with familiar disgust. The dishes overwhelmed the counters so much that some had fallen and broken on top of the sticky tiled-floor. He could almost smell the mold that was growing on some of those dishes, hidden under layers of other dirty dishes. The living room/guest bedroom section of the one-room-wonder had a pull-out bed pulled out and covered with a stained sheet. The obnoxious-yellow couch, which was the pull-out bed's origin, was scratchy and uncomfortable, thereby useless as a couch. Dust covered the TV and the DVD set; even the handprints Gracie made on the dusty equipment had a layer of dust on top of it.

Gracie hadn't been in his apartment for a while.

The thought, the reminder, caused Danny's eyes to well up. He felt angry, but was too exhausted to express the anger. Instead, he settled for standing there, a lost look in his eyes.

He hated Hawaii; so very much.

The sharp and repetitive ring of the doorbell broke Danny from his fog. Irritated by his own annoying doorbell, he trudged to the door and yanked it open...

At his doorstep was a gorgeous, young woman. Her complexion was as dark and smooth as a mocha beverage, but she smelt of flowers. Her dark eyes seemed pointed, but kind, deep with emotion yet professionally emotionless. She was smiling at him and, after a beat, Danny felt himself smile back.

"Hi, Detective Williams?" she asked politely, as if she knew the answers but felt the need to verify anyway.

"Former," he answered bitterly, his smiling fading quickly.

Her own smile faltered awkwardly, but she managed to keep it in place as she stuck her hand out towards him.

"I'm Chin Ho's cousin, Kono." she introduced.

Danny took the hand and shook it, his interest in her peaking once more.

"His cousin? Is Chin okay?"

"Just fine, brah."

Both Danny and Kono looked over at the approaching Chin, who was carrying several bags in his arms.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Danny called as Chin dropped the bags at Danny's doorstep. Kono took a considerable step back as Danny motioned his arms angrily at the luggage, "What's this?"

"That is most of my stuff. Some of it is Kono's," Chin answered with a sad grin.

Danny pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, his frustration rattling up his bones.

"I gathered that, but see," Danny began, slowly lowering his hand and opening his eyes with specific purpose, "what I wanted to know was why you had brought 'your stuff' all the way to my apartment and then, nonchalantly, drop it at my doorstep as if it was some lost puppy and I was Santa Claus."

Chin's sad grin quickly turned into a sad frown.

"We got evicted from my apartment."

After a shocked beat, Danny cursed. He rubbed his hand against his forehead in an act of forlorn thought. He then glanced up at Chin, who glanced away in shame.

"Man, I'm so sorry," Danny apologized, reaching out his hand and patting his friend's arm sympathetically.

Chin nodded his understanding, looking back up at Danny with another sad grin.

The hallway then felt particularly cramped. The aged, scratched-up yellow of the walls seemed to be absorbing what was left of the air. Kono, feeling the most out of place, announced she was going to go get the rest of her stuff.

"Wait a minute," Danny said, stopping Kono in her tracks. His hand was reached out to her, as if mentally holding her in place, but his eyes were focused on Chin, "Since when has your cousin lived with you? Why haven't I ever heard about her?"

Chin sighed and was preparing himself to explain, but Danny was far from finished with his side of the conversation.

"What? We're partners for almost a year, and I don't get to hear about this lovely relative of yours?"

Kono smiled.

"Danny-" Chin began, but Danny still wasn't finished.

With great exaggeration, he motioned his hands about.

"I told you about Gracie. I even told you about the evil 'Step-Stan' and I'm not even living with him. I talked about my mom, my dad, my mentally disturbed siblings, five-count 'em-FIVE cousins, all of which are horrendously humiliating and pathetic, but then you have this wonderful relative that you are, apparently, sharing your home with, and I get squat?"

"Kono," Chin said, ignoring Danny for a moment to make eye-contact with his cousin. With his head, he motioned towards the rickety, wooden stairwell down the porch-like hallway, "Go get your stuff."

"You gonna talk about me, cuz?" Kono asked jokingly as she made her way past the pile of suitcases and the two stubborn men.

"Just go," Chin instructed half-heartedly, smiling as his little cousin casually walked down the hall and then down the wooden stairwell. When she was far enough away, Chin turned back to Danny, who was waiting expectantly with his arms crossed. Sighing, Chin said, "Look, brah, she came to live with me a few days ago. She, apparently, got fired."

"Apparently?"

"Yeah, I'm not buying it," Chin revealed, glancing over at the stairwell, "I think she's just worried about me and taking some time off to keep an eye on me."

"You know, a cousin who is worried about you has got to be pretty close to you," Danny observed, scratching his nose conspicuously before notably glaring at Chin.

Chin rolled his eyes.

"Look, brah-"

"Forget it. And stop calling me 'brah'. This is my house-"

"-your apartment."

"-and I only allow the King's good English in it. Got it?"

"Try telling that to Kono," Chin warned bemused.

"Hey, my _apartment_, my rules. I can tell her anything I want."

The two stared at each other for a moment, a weighted smile on both of their lips. Then Danny glanced away and scratched the back of his neck nervously, uncomfortable with the awkward staring contest the two seemed to have started.

"Hey, listen," Chin said, peering back at the stairwell before looking back at Danny. His smile seemed to have obtained more weight upon it as he spoke, "I'm really sorry to barge in on you like this."

Danny scoffed, slapping a hand sloppily through the air between them.

"Forget about it. What are friends for?"

"Yeah, but everything with HPD-"

"Hey," Danny interrupted loudly, his eyes hard and sincere, "forget about it."

The look of guilt that settled over Chin's face told Danny that he definitely would _not_ forget about it. Before Danny could angrily rant away the shame and guilt his Hawaiian friend continued to hold, Kono was making her way towards them with three fairly-large bags in her arms. Impressed, Danny's attention instantly snapped over to her.

"Wow. You need any help there, Butch?" Danny joked as the petite woman carried child-sized suitcases.

"Are you offering, Sundance?" she joked back, a kind smirk on her lips.

Danny, yet again, smiled at her.

"I like this one," he commented sincerely before taking a suitcase.

"Right back at ya, brah," she replied with a seductive wink.

As she walked over the bags (which remained piled on top of his welcome mat) and then into his apartment, Danny couldn't help but observe her with a youthful sparkle in his eye.

"Watch it," Chin warned half-heartedly after picking up the bags at his feet, "she's off limits."

"Hey, I'm watching it," Danny responded defensively, his free hand waving in the air for unneeded emphasis. As Chin rolled his eyes and headed inside, Danny suddenly felt a little desperate to change the embarrassing topic, "So, what did she used to do, anyway?"

"She was a professional surfer," Chin stated coolly, smirking when Danny tripped over his own welcome mat.

*.*.*.*

He hadn't taken the job for the pay, though it was at such a high amount that it was actually insulting. In fact, ever since he agreed to do the job, he had lost a lot of respect from his fellow SEALs, who made a habit of making petty side comments whenever he was nearby. No, he definitely didn't take it for the money. He took it for Hawaii.

It was very foolish (even he knew this) to feel like he had to be on an assignment or a mission to go to the island, but, to him, Hawaii wasn't just an island, or a state, or a popular place to vacation. It was his past, his childhood specifically-when everything was perfect. He hadn't been on that island since he was a 16 year old boy, being forced to leave his home by his grieving father, a new widower at the time. He did not even return to attend his father's funeral over a decade later. Even now, he could feel the regret of not being there. He just...he couldn't.

Steve McGarrett could handle a lot of things (murderers, kidnappers, radicals, crashing aircrafts, armored tanks), but Hawaii was something he could never seem to conquer. He never admitted that to anyone but himself. Even his little sister, who had recently moved back there for reasons still unknown to Steve, didn't know of his secret...fear? He didn't think it was a fear, but...

Lt. Commander McGarrett notably shook his head, glancing to the round window perched next to his shoulder. Peering out, he observed the wrinkled blanket of ocean miles below the airplane he now resided in. The fact that he was getting closer and closer to his childhood home was making him a little anxious, and he gulped as if to confirm the fact, but the large body of water calmed him.

Really, his love of the water was the only part of him that survived after his mother's death...

So, Steve continued to stare at the water, and began to go over his assignment as an extra mean of distraction.

He was going to be the bodyguard of the Japanese Ambassador for a month because the Ambassador, as the other SEALs had put it, had become neurotic and paranoid. A few "pranks" (again, the SEALs' wording) had really spooked Ambassador James Sato, enough to request temporary recruitments of SEALs and marines for the next four weeks. The Ambassador believed he was being targeted because of his current work in Japan. Apparently, an American woman had been raped in the foreign country, and the Ambassador, as well as Japanese officials, were trying to handle the "issue" (the Ambassador's wording) quietly. Personally, Steve didn't think anyone would assassinate Ambassador Sato for any of that. While people have killed with less motive, there was just something about the whole thing that made Steve believe that the Ambassador was not a target of an assassination; not presently, anyway. A target for a few elaborate pranks, on the other hand...

Nevertheless, Steve had agreed to do a job, and he intended to do so seriously. If there were people after Ambassador Sato, Steve would be prepared for them, and stop them.

"You okay, McGarrett? You look a little somber."

Steve smiled and looked over at Jeff Weston, one of the two other SEALs that had also agreed to this job. The other SEAL, Sam Smith, was sound asleep on the other side of Jeff.

"Just going over the job." Steve assured.

"We're not going to be there for another three hours," Jeff argued, a knowing smile bringing out his dimples.

Steve snorted silently.

"Can never be too careful."

"You seem to defy that very statement," Jeff joked, playfully shoving Steve with his beefy arm. Steve chuckled emptily, not really listening as he turned back to face his colleague's pointed look, "You need to relax. Over-thinking isn't good for a job...if you can even call this a job."

"If you're against this, then why'd you take it?" McGarrett questioned, glad to get the spotlight off of him.

"Need the money," Jeff admitted, almost shamefully, "That's the only reason for taking a job like this."

To that, Steve said nothing. He only knew Jeff as a SEAL, beyond that, the two weren't very close. Steve felt that way about all the SEALs. He was willing to put his life in their hands, as was required, and nothing more.

Nevertheless, he had known about Jeff's problems with the IRS. He didn't know the details, but he knew enough (most of it, admittedly, rumor-that his ex-wife sold him out on some money-scamming scheme, etc., etc. People kept away from Jeff nowadays, even though there was no evidence to prove any of the rumors true. Even Sam, who had recently downed four Gatorades, chose to painfully feign sleep rather than go to the restroom just to prevent Jeff from speaking to him.

"Why'd you take the job, McGarrett?" Jeff questioned, suspicious of the silence that was given to him.

Steve shrugged, glancing back out the window.

"Same reason." he lied.


	2. Chapter 2

**I just wanted to thank my reviewers again for the nice reviews. :). Please let me know when this gets unrealistic, or if you find something wrong with this story. Thanks again for taking the time to review. :). Also, thank you guys who favorited, subscribed to, etc., this story. It's very flattering. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything relating to the Wonder Twins.**

Chapter Two

_One Week Later..._

"I can't believe I agreed to this."

"I can't believe you wore tennis shoes to the beach."

"I hate sand."

"You hate everything."

Danny seemed to accept the accusation, for he made no effort to rebut it. In all honesty, he was tired. He was tired of his life, tired of Hawaii, tired of having all of these arguments that were more sincere than people were realizing, and tired of being tired. He just didn't have the energy to deny or agree with Chin's hyperbolic statement. So, instead, Danny kept his eyes forward on the ocean before him, where Kono was gliding gracefully over one of the ocean's roaring waves with just a piece of wood under her feet and a flimsy yellow bikini to cover her body.

"She's really good," Danny commented nonchalantly, hands in pockets and surfboard abandoned on the sandy ground next to his covered feet, "It makes her 'I-got-fired-boo-hoo' story harder to buy."

"You're telling me," Chin agreed, taking a brief break from waxing his board and sitting up a little straighter. He gripped the wax subconsciously in his hands as he watched his cousin suspiciously, "She's the best surfer I have ever seen. Who would be stupid enough to let her go?"

"Well, from all the surfers I've had to talk to, I'd say a lot of people."

Chin glared at his former partner, a silent malice hidden underneath his curved lips.

"How can they call them 'professional' surfers," Danny continued, either oblivious or uncaring of the anger boiling within his friend's chest, "a waterproof monkey could do their job."

Chin gave up, accepted Danny for who he was, and returned to waxing his surfboard. A pattern he had grown used to following.

"Hey!"

Both Danny and Chin turned back towards the ocean. Kono, covered in a heavy layer of water, and holding a surfboard against her body, was running to them at an impressive speed.

"Come on, brahs. I didn't bring you to my cove just to watch me surf," Kono said in weighted breaths as she drew closer to them.

Danny almost rolled his eyes at that. Bring she says. Her and her secret-keeping cousin dragged him here by his toenails. Chin hadn't even wanted to go at first, but after Kono gave him just a sliver of a pout, Chin Ho caved. Danny stood no chance against The Wonder Twins and there twisted desire to go out into a monstrous body of dirty water.

And, by the way, it wasn't her cove just because she was the only one who knew of its location…

well, okay, she wasn't the only one who knew of it anymore. Danny supposed he should be appreciative of her grand gesture towards them, but he was too irritated to feel anything but resentment.

"I'm almost done, cuz," Chin assured her, smiling up at her for just a moment before returning to his waxing.

Observing her cousin's surfboard for herself, Kono accepted the short explanation and turned her pointed gaze to Danny-tennis shoe-wearing Danny.

"And you?" she questioned, accusation accenting her amused tone.

Comically, Danny pointed to himself.

"Me? Oh, well, you know," he responded in ease, his Jersey accent and posture giving him away as an outsider, "I prefer to spend my time on dry land like a human being.

Chin snorted-his inconspicuous way of warning Kono that Danny was off his rocker. Danny took the time to glare at him, but Kono didn't budge.

"I see," she said with careful thought. Danny quickly looked back at her, somewhat surprised by all of the subtext written over her facial expression. As he was trying to decipher it, the woman had the gall to say, "You can't swim."

Danny scoffed at such an accusation, and was about to rebut the ridiculous statement when Chin's laughter got in the way. Giving the older man a notable sneer, he felt somewhat malicious as he claimed that Kono's comment was inaccurate.

"Then why are you so defensive?" Kono questioned with such bravado that it made Danny's face burn with anger.

Realizing he would have to be the mature one in this atrocious situation, the blonde was quick to stuff down his frustration and anger. It made his heart and pride constrict painfully, but he was used to ignoring that uncomfortable sensation in his chest.

"I am not defensive, as you so kindly put it," Danny argued with calm reason, choosing to ignore Chin's not-so-quiet sniggers in the background, "I am merely appalled by your low opinion of me."

"What? Danny, just because you don't know-"

"I wasn't finished," Danny interrupted (politely of course), his eyes wide and purposeful as he stared down the young woman before him, "Did it sound like I was finished?"

"Yes."

"...Well, I wasn't. Anyway, as I was saying, I am appalled by your low of opinion of me-that you think my distaste for filthy salt water is because I have the tendency to drown in it, rather than the real reason, which is that it is disgusting and, ultimately, boring to flap one's arms and legs around in dirty fish water."

It was silent then. The soft white noise of the waves crashing down on the water's unstable surface was the only noise Danny could hear, save for the light ocean breeze that ruffled the trees surrounding them. He almost gulped in intimidation at her gentle yet powerful gaze upon him. It was the first time since they had arrived at Kono's secret cove that he wished there were other people around, mainly for the obnoxious noise that would distract him away from an awkward situation such as this one.

"What?" Danny finally asked, too prideful to let on how uncomfortable he was.

Indifferent, Kono shrugged.

"I wasn't sure if you were finished or not," she admitted, a twinge of humor in her words.

"I am finished," Danny clarified, and mentally prepared himself for some kind of surfer tongue-lashing.

"I can teach you how to swim," Kono offered, motioning over her shoulder to the aqua water, "And I can teach you how to swim here, so you don't have to worry about anybody staring at you."

Feeling as though the vein in his head had exploded, Danny forced himself to look away before he said something nasty. Chin, to his credit, knew to stay quiet, but Danny could feel the smug smirk on the Hawaiian's face so immensely that he actually preferred the laughter.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Danny," Kono assured as Danny continued to take in the, admittedly, beautiful setting. Then something immediately halted his gaze, "A lot of people are afraid of the water. It's a natural fear. Even I had a fear of the-"

"Chin," Danny said, keeping his eyes focused on the ocean.

Chin's smirk morphed into a serious frown, his ears being accustomed to the various tones of Daniel Williams. Something was wrong.

"Chin," Danny repeated, starting to hurry towards the ocean, "there's a body."

"What?" Kono gasped as Chin bounded from his sitting position to follow a sprinting Danny.

The body, muscular and over six feet tall, was allowing the rough water to shove it closer and closer towards the beach. The body scraped against the sandy shores with a sluggish limpness, clearly unaware of how out of place it was in the beautiful setting surrounding it.

Danny and Chin quickly splashed through the shallow part of the water and grabbed the body's arms. Immediately, they lifted the man up and carried him out of the water.

Chin, noticing Kono helplessly standing among them, ordered her to go call 911. Impressively calm, Kono nodded and rushed back to where her bag and phone were.

"He's not breathing," Danny stated, having held his hand in front of the man's nose.

Chin's fingers were already against the man's neck.

"He's got a pulse."

The sun seemed to increase in temperature, bearing down on the cove as if attempting to burn it off the planet. The uncomfortable and suffocating atmosphere was in the background of everything as Chin pulled up the man's soaked shirt. The shirt was stubborn, clinging to the man's skin every chance it got, but Chin was equally stubborn as he continuously yanked at the shirt until he could get it bunched up against the man's neck.

When Danny cursed, Chin was quick to look at the victim's chest. Then, despite the fiery weather that consumed him, he became stone-cold.

Naturally having quicker reflexes, Danny was the first who dared to start compressions on the wounded chest. Chin immediately fell in line, going to the man's head to breathe for him.

"The ambulance will be here in about eight minutes," Kono shouted, rushing back towards the former detectives with her heavy beach bag hanging from her left forearm. She came to an abrupt halt when she got a good view of the victim's chest, and she just about staggered over.

"Oh…what happened?" she asked breathlessly, feeling a brief wave of nausea come over her.

No one had the time to acknowledge her question.

It was about four minutes later-four long minutes later-when the man's body jolted back to life. Chin jumped back and out of the way, allowing Danny to jump forward and gently push the man on his side so he could vomit the unwanted saltwater out of his lungs and stomach and onto the sand.

With efficient speed, Kono whipped out a towel from her beach bag and handed it to Chin.

"You're okay, buddy," Danny assured the man, rubbing his shoulders as he coughed on the tiny sand particles beneath his face. Chin carefully placed the towel over him, "You're alright, just keep breathing."

The man had to cough a few times more before he could fully comply with Danny's command. When his breathing was steadier, and as reality was becoming more real to him, the man turned to look at his saviors, but was blinded by the furious sun.

"Hey, what's your name?" Chin asked gently.

The man blinked hard, trying to make out the details of the blurred forms. The angelic light that outlined their bodies was also consuming them and everything around them. The only details he could make out were the fish-patterns on the beach towel lying on top of him.

"Can you hear us?" Danny questioned.

The man had to swallow down the roughness in his throat to answer, but even after that his voice remained scratched.

"Yeah." he said.

"What's your name?" Chin asked again, gentler than before.

The man swallowed again, trying to rid all of the weakness and vulnerability from his voice. When he felt ready, he opened his mouth, but then he hesitated.

Danny grimaced, feeling absolute pity for the poor, clueless guy.

"I don't know," the man finally answered, sounding confused by his own words.

"You don't know?" Danny questioned worriedly, morbidly glancing back at the victim's chest, "Are you sure?"

"Y-Yeah. I'm positive," the man confirmed, bringing his arms over the towel in a subconscious act of fear.

That's when Chin saw it.

"Hey, do you mind if I lift up your sleeve there?" Chin asked politely, pointing to the man's right short-shirt sleeve.

The man looked a little uncomfortable by the request, but when he looked down at his arm, his own curiosity began to rise. He awkwardly raised his hand to push the sleeve upward, but Chin, after cautiously pushing the man's arm back down, pulled the sleeve up himself.

"A SEAL tattoo?" Danny blurted, bringing his head a little closer to the skin-artwork to verify what he saw, "You're a navy SEAL?"

"I guess," the man said, almost amused by the revelation.

Sirens were beginning to be heard in the background. The three people who actually knew their own identities turned towards the trees, silently wondering if the paramedics would find them there.

"I'll go get them," Kono assured before running towards the trees.

"Wait, go get who?" the man asked, pushing his weak form up.

Danny pushed him back down, preventing the man from seeing his own chest.

"Hey, take it easy! You nearly died, who do you think she's getting?"

"Danny," Chin warned, his eyes demanding that he calm down. Frustrated, Danny obeyed, giving Chin the opportunity to address the victim in a calmer, polite manner, "She's going to get the paramedics to make sure you're alright."

The man, awkwardly trying to peer over Danny's form, still looked fairly tensed, but seemed to let himself resign to the idea that having paramedics help him was a good thing.

"Oh," the man simply said, thoughtlessly grabbing and then releasing his hair with his right hand.

That one little action made Chin revaluate everything he knew about this man, which was virtually nothing. Still, that habit of grabbing one's hair…he's seen someone do that before, almost exactly the way this man had done it. Did Chin actually know him? Chin stared harder at the victim before him, studying his distinctive facial features and his watery blue eyes, but he couldn't remember ever meeting him.

"Stay still, please," Danny pleaded to the shifting victim, frustration adding a bite to his sympathetic tone. The victim was breathing kind of funny, and it was putting Danny on edge, "The paramedics will be here any second now, just relax."

The man swallowed.

"Okay," he mumbled, cringing as he forced himself still.

"What's the matter?" Chin asked quickly, worry betraying his need to be professionally distant.

"I…I don't know," the victim gasped, patting his chest and stomach very lightly, "but…my chest hurts…. It's hard…to breathe."

Chin and Danny glanced worriedly at each other, not realizing that having the short moment of eye contact was a huge mistake.

"What?" the man asked fearfully, squirming painfully on the warm sandy beach, "What is it? What aren't you telling me?"

"They're over here," Kono told the paramedics, who followed her as she ran back towards her friends, "They managed to get him conscious, but his torso is really wounded."

As Kono and the paramedics grew closer to the victim, Kono was all too aware of the giant understatement she just made. Looking at the victim's chest once again, she morbidly observed the deep red gash, about the width of the victim himself, that was cut jaggedly across his stomach and a portion of his chest. The blood that seeped out of it was watery, having been compromised by ocean water. Around the roaring red of the bloody gash were various shades of purple, silent and somber compared to the bright red it surrounded.

Eventually, Kono had to look away.


	3. Chapter 3

_I fixed up Chapter 2 (or, I tried to anyway) so it's a little more realistic. It's virtually the same, only that Danny is nicer because he sees the wound earlier and Kono sees the wound earlier too-details like that which make the chapter a little different._

_And, yes, I am going to acknowledge that I was late on the ball with this one. :P. I'd give you an excuse if excuses didn't annoy me so much. ;). If I am going to use this site to practice being an author, then I have to be diligent with my work (granted, I do tend to treat fanfics more like a casual hobby than I do with my original stories, but still, perseverance is a good aspect of character to put into practice)._

_I know very little about surgery, hospitals, etc. I did do some research, but this is still all a circumstantial situation. Please let me know if you find any inaccuracies in this chapter, whether they be hospital-related or not. :)_

_Thank you to all who took the time to review, favorited, etc. Sincerely, I appreciate it. :)_

Danny was way too gleeful under such unfortunate circumstances. A man, a navy SEAL by tattoo-credentials, was not only amnesiac, but severely injured as well, and he was now heading to the hospital for some serious surgery that he may not be able to afford (tattoo-credentials can only get you so far). For all they knew, this poor guy could be in some large debt with a stab-happy, crazy-eyed bookie, who could have brutally attacked him (or, more likely, could have had ridiculously huge, hairy goons brutally attack him) and then shoved him into the ocean, leaving him for dead. Then, not only would Danny, Chin, and Kono have to fret about this victim's medical bill, they'd probably have to deal with his shady life too. And that hardly ever ended well.

It made no sense for Danny to be grinning like a disturbed clown.

"Why are you grinning like that?" Chin asked, eyes glued to the ambulance that was escaping his tail.

The wind slapped their faces as Chin pushed down harder on the gas pedal, abruptly changing lanes when the ambulance in front of him did so. Kono, who sat in the backseat of her beloved jeep, was growing more and more concerned with her cousin's driving ability. Though most people assumed Chin was some kind of daredevil because he rode a motorcycle, in actuality he was one of the most cautious drivers Kono knew. On one occasion, he had flat-out refused to even start a car until Kono had put her seatbelt on. Ignoring the brown whips of hair that repeatedly hit her in the face, Kono stared at Chin's eyes through the rearview mirror. The cold stare he was giving the road made her muscles tense with worry.

"I'm not grinning," Danny argued, denying the existence of what was so obviously on his face.

"Yes, you are," Chin argued back.

"You're not even looking at me. How can you tell if I'm grinning or not?"

"I have good peripheral vision," Chin answered, making a sharp turn to the right seconds after the ambulance had done so.

Kono, who was stabbing her leather seats with her broken fingernails, nervously glanced back at a car Chin Ho had nearly crashed into.

"You're seeing things." Danny accused.

"You're still grinning," Chin pointed out.

Danny, with great effort, attempted to morph his ecstatic grin into a solemn frown. Hopefully by ridding his face of any sign of joy, Chin would drop the subject and leave him be. Sadly, however, Danny could only get his lips down to a quivering smile.

"You're pathetic." Chin stated.

"I'd have to agree," Kono added, who was leaning forward to stare at Danny's twitching facial expression.

"Shut up," the blonde muttered, still trying to destroy the happiness his face was projecting.

He couldn't though. Clearly, living with Chin and Kono for a week had damaged his brain in some way. He honestly didn't know why he was so happy. It was borderline sick-scratch that, it was completely sick…but…it did feel pretty good…Chin at the wheel, driving like a maniac…sirens shrieking in the background…them bantering about something irrelevant as they chased down the bad gu-

Great, so he really was sick-mentally sick. Fantastic.

"Stop staring at me," Danny growled at Kono.

"I can't," Kono admitted, secretly glad to have a distraction from her cousin's dangerous driving, "It's like watching a train wreck."

Danny, still smiling, couldn't seem to disagree with that.

*.*.*.*

_"Do you wish I was dead?"_

_His surroundings were pitch-black. Not even the faintest outline of any shape could be made out. It was outer space without stars._

_"Well, do you?" _

_Even if he could speak, he wasn't sure what he would say. He was trying to find the source of the morbid questions, but he couldn't even move his head. His entire body felt so numb, he dared to wonder if he was alive. Did he die?_

_"No, I did. Is that what you want?"_

_"No." he said._

_The word had come out quick and harsh, and his voice had sounded more confident than he felt. Nothing was making sense and he still couldn't feel anything, though he thought he moved his head a quarter of an inch to the right._

_The morbid questioner laughed a gentle laugh. It felt so warm and inviting that it was as if she was a hostess and he the guest._

_Wait…she…._

_"Yes, my dear, I am-or, I was-a woman. You want me dead."_

_"No."_

_"Yes, you do. And I am dead. You can stop wanting." _

_"I don't want you-I didn't want you dead."_

_A fiery chill shot up his spine. Before he could process the bizarre sensation, the air in his lungs evaporated. He gasped, falling over before he could comprehend what was happening. He tried to breathe, and like a fish he sucked at the emptiness overwhelming him, but he could not persuade even the smallest amount of oxygen to enter his lungs. On his back, he kicked wildly, the threat of death reducing him to a panicked state._

_"You're suffocating, dear."_

_He kicked harder and clawed at his throat, foolishly drawing blood underneath his sharp fingernails._

_"Yeah, that'll save you. Stevie, just breathe. In and out. It is really quite simple."_

_But he couldn't. He didn't understand what was happening-what any of this was. Was he really in outer space? How was that possible? How could he get back home?_

_Little white dots revealed themselves to him, and for several seconds his panic increased rapidly. _

_"I hate you." the woman said, "I hate you. Do you know what that means?"_

_He wasn't paying attention to the woman anymore. She was insignificant compared to the air he so desired. Violently, his entire body trembled, screaming silent cries to the specs of light that approached him._

_"Do you know what that means, Steve? Do you know what that means?"_

_Someone's blonde hair, practically ashen, burned. The image made no logical sense, and he couldn't tell if he was remembering something or imagining it. For a second though, he thought he could smell fire…._

*.*.*.*

"HPD will be here in about five minutes," Chin informed his friends as he approached the waiting area.

His voice didn't waiver, but his heart pounded painfully inside his chest as he said those words. Calling the Honolulu Police Department had been the right thing to do, despite Danny's grumbling protests, but it hadn't been easy. Chin could hear the paranoid, condescending tone in the officer's—officer Tachiyama's—his friend's—voice as he informed Chin that a unit would be on their way. Reflecting on it made his grieving anger cool into resentment, but his face remained indifferent.

Over the years, Chin had become a master of disguise. He needed no costume, no alias, nor any mask. All he needed was control over his voice, his posture, and most importantly, his face, and no one would ever know the truths he chose to hide. It was a valuable talent in the line of work he used to do anyway. The thought was a painful one, but Chin's tired expression never exposed his true emotion.

"Great," Danny grumbled, his smile having vanished long ago.

Chin took a moment to observe his ex-partner, who stood erect and defiant in front of one of the hospital's windows. Then he looked over at his cousin, fully dressed in a summer attire she had packed in her beach bag, and smiled at her with reassurance as she watched him worriedly.

"Come on," he announced, mentally prepared to be a leader for the disheveled people before him, "let's go get something to eat."

"Now?" Kono questioned him, "But what about our SEAL?"

"Our SEAL," Danny repeated, his sluggish facial expression belittling Kono's words, "You make it sound like we work at Sea World or something."

"Aren't you guys worried about him?" Kono asked defensively.

Chin sighed, secretly gathering up the patience he normally had when dealing with these types of situations.

"Of course, I am, but we can't do anything for him now, Kono. Plus, we have no relation to the victim—"

"Other than the fact that we saved his life," Kono interrupted angrily, her eyes swirling with heart-aching disappointment.

Chin was tempted to sigh again.

"Hey, _we_ saved his life," Danny said loudly, motioning his hand between himself and Danny, "You just made a phone call."

"Oh, I'm sorry, _haole_, I didn't realize it was you giving him surgery in there!"

"Kono," Chin snapped, attempting to rein control over the growing conflict.

"And you are?" Danny growled.

"Danny," Chin barked, looming threateningly closer towards Danny.

"If you guys want to go have burgers and fries while a man is dying, go right on ahead," Kono spat coldly, "I'm staying here."

"Oh give me a break," Danny laughed venomously, is voice hollowed of sincerity, "You think he's the only one dying today? That you're some saint by waiting around here long enough to see if he's dead or not? Newsflash you little, empty-headed surfer, you're not."

"Danny," Chin snarled, giving his friend plenty of warning to back down.

Danny ignored him.

"We're doing nothing here. It makes no difference if we waste our time in a waiting room or waste our time somewhere else. A guy that we don't know, along with half of the residence in this filthy place, may or may not die today. Boo-hoo, very sad, get over it. That's life, and pretending that you're Saint Kono does nothing for anybody."

Kono felt murderous. Her entire being felt too small for the raging anger that was building up inside her, contemplating multiple ways Danny could die. Then, after the silent beat of tension, Kono relaxed her shoulders. Reason began to gently embrace her thought process. As much as she hated to acknowledge it, Danny wasn't completely wrong. Regardless, she refused to abandon the victim when he needed someone.

"Excuse me."

The doctor's footsteps had gone unheard, making his two spoken words sound like abrupt blares from a foghorn.

"Are you the ones who brought the John Doe in?" he asked them.

"Yes we are," Chin answered as he approached the surgeon.

Danny and Kono followed suit.

"How is he?" Kono asked.

"He is stable," the doctor—Dr. Yeman, according to his badge—said, holding the victim's chart casually at his side, "The gash across his chest didn't reach his heart, but it did break two of his ribs and cracked a few others. We managed to remove the broken rib pieces without further damaging his lungs."

"Further damaging?" Kono interrupted nervously.

Dr. Yeman nodded.

"Unfortunately, one of the rib pieces did puncture his left lung, but we managed to drain the fluid and sutured up the puncture wound. He had lost a lot of blood before and during the surgery, so we replenished his blood supply. He has 27 stitches keeping the gash closed."

Danny let out a soft curse.

"There is also a small wound on the back of his head near the right temporal lobe. His skull under that area has a crack in it."

"Explains the amnesia," Chin stated needlessly, his tired form still trying to absorb the information.

"Another possible factor is the amount of time he went without oxygen." Dr. Yeman added, "However long he was under, the lack of oxygen probably contributed to the damage to his brain."

"Can we see him?" Kono asked foolishly, having temporarily forgotten about the argument she recently had with the two former detectives.

Dr. Yeman's stoic eyes twitched with emotion.

"I'm sorry, but he's currently in the ICU, and only family is permitted access."

"Family? With all due respect, the guy doesn't have any family as far as he's concerned," Danny snapped defensively. While Dr. Yeman expression conveyed his regret, it was obvious he would make no exceptions to the rule, "Come on! The guy nearly died, we just want to—"

"I'm sorry, sir—"

"You're sorry? You apologize and what? That makes us go away?"

Dr. Yeman opened his mouth to apologize once more, but closed it upon noticing the police officers striding towards them. Danny followed the doctor's gaze, groaning at the unpleasant sight of Officer Wakata and Officer Kaaua coming to take their ca—

Distracted by his own frustrating slip up, Danny was surprisingly quiet as the officers sidestepped him to get to Dr. Yeman.

"We got this, Williams," Kaaua assured nervously, refusing to fully acknowledge the blonde that stood right beside him, "You two can go home."

A year ago, Danny would have roared at the officers his righteous decrees of right and wrong—of what belonged to _him_ and never to them. Now, he just felt like someone deflated his lungs. There was no breath to protest with. Besides, the end result would be the same whether Danny fought it or not.

Sighing, the former detective walked away.

Chin's frown deepened. The whispers of blame that had been nagging at his conscience for months began speaking louder and clearer at him. He wished to silence them, but he would never allow himself that luxury. He didn't deserve it.

Kono watched as her cousin slowly pursued his ex-partner. Both of them looked as if they just died, and Kono was tempted to chase after them and resurrect their buried souls in some way. If she had the capability to do such a thing, she would have sprinted out of that waiting area and missed a different temptation presenting itself to her.

"He is sleeping now, but you may see him."

She didn't even have to consider her options. In a swiftness that looked too casual to be suspicious, Kono silently followed as Dr. Yeman lead the officers to the ICU.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you guys again for the reviews. :) And thank you Shakespeare's Lemonade for the criticism. I do appreciate those. :). I do want to keep Danny's and Chin's cop status (or lack there of) a little obscure for now, but I did go back in Chapters 1 and 2 and put in "professional surfer" and "professional surfers" to make it clearer that that's what Kono used to do. As to why she got fired-or if she even got fired at all-I also want to keep obscure for the time being.**

**Oh, and I also figured out how to get my astrics on this thing! Yay! ;)**

**And, for a little heads up, this is purely a Kono chapter. Danny and Chin are not in it at all.**

When Kono caught a glimpse of a women's restroom, she nonchalantly gave up her pursuit of the officers and Dr. Yeman and entered it. She felt the adrenaline rushing through her veins, ironically demanding her to be slow and patient. It was as if instinct rather than thought had warned her that further pursuit would have ended in failure. She would have to continue forward with some type of alias.

Setting her beach bag on the tiled floor, Kono stood back up to look at herself in the mirror. While mentally counting how many women were in the bathroom (four—three in the stalls, one drying her hands), she couldn't help but question herself.

_What am I doing?_

To keep up the act that she wasn't doing anything dishonest, Kono began fixing her hair.

_I don't do this. I don't sneak around and lie—well, not often._

But she couldn't help but enjoy her hidden tension as an oblivious woman walked passed her and out into the hall. The rush of relief and success that followed almost made her giddy.

_This isn't good. I shouldn't be—_

"Oh, hey," a woman called out as she exited her stall.

Kono was about to turn when she heard another woman near a sink respond. Letting out a silent breath, Kono chastised herself for getting so distracted. She needed to focus and come up with a plan. Sporadic decisions were eventually going to get her caught.

"Funny, I didn't even know you were here," the woman by the sink, an artificial-blonde, commented as she began to wash her hands.

"I'm your brother's best friend, why wouldn't I be here?" the other woman, a dark brunette, said defensively.

"Maybe because it's your fault he nearly died," the blonde bit back as she turned off the faucet.

"My fault?" the brunette snapped.

"He never wanted to try hang gliding, but you just had to force him into doing something dangerous and stupid."

"I didn't force him—"

"So I guess the jagged rock he crashed into told him to do it. Is that it?"

"I just wanted him to have some fun—"

"At the cost of his life?"

"You're not listening to me. He—"

"Excuse me," Kono sobbed loudly, trembling.

Both of the women widened their eyes at her. Having overlooked Kono, they didn't realize she had just tied her hair up into a ponytail and put on a moist T-shirt that had been stuffed into her beach bag earlier that day. Having used some dirty sink water and the dull lights above her head, Kono managed to redden her face with grief and have tears pour from her abused eyes.

"Excuse me," she sobbed again, noting how the third woman in the bathroom remained hidden in her stall, "my fiancé was just in a surfing accident, and…" Kono gagged under the emotional pressure of her words, and was forced to sniff and swallow a few times before she could continue. Appearing unstable, she continued shakily, "His family's still in the mainland, and he's in the ICU alone, and I can't…I can't remember where he is…. How can I not remember where he is? I'm his fiancé—this is all my fault."

Having gone a little hysterical, Kono committed to the part and began pacing around in the bathroom, biting her nails and breathing raggedly into them.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," the brunette said kindly while the blonde continued to gape piteously, "those hallways all look the same. Would you like me to help you find him?"

Kono, with big, child-like eyes, nodded innocently. The brunette took her by the arm gently and was about to lead her out when Kono stopped her.

"Excuse me again," Kono said to the stunned blonde, who looked close to tears herself, "I…I know this is a weird request, but…but could I please borrow your scarf? I hate having people see me cry."

The blonde woman gawked at her.

"I'll give it back. I promise," Kono assured her before she started to sob again.

The blonde, clearly defenseless, said nothing as she untied the scarf around her neck and handed it to Kono.

"Thank you," Kono said tearfully. The brunette began leading her away again as Kono called out, "God bless you!"

The blonde woman only nodded, the bathroom door closing and blocking her from further view. Kono pulled her gaze back forward, stumbling over her flip-flops as her eyes skittered about her bland yet busy surroundings.

"So, he's in the ICU?" the brunette asked, holding onto Kono's arm as Kono awkwardly tied the scarf around her head.

"Y-Yeah," Kono whispered sadly.

"My friend's in the ICU too. I feel like I go into shock a little bit every time I walk in there because of all the injured people."

Kono nodded, bowing her head and biting her nails to keep herself unnoticed.

"What's your fiancé's name?"

"John," Kono blurted, pulling the scarf down over her forehead. Then, before that small action could appear suspicious, Kono's head snapped up to face her new companion, "and my name is Kala."

"Kala," the brunette repeated with a warm voice, "My name is Lani."

"Lani," Kono mimicked, mentally trying to figure out what she would do if and when Lani asked for "John's" last name.

She certainly couldn't say it was "Doe."

Letting out a long, groaning sigh, Kono stared down at her feet with feigned despair. Instead of speaking more lies, Kono figured that saying nothing would prevent her from exposing her true identity and intentions. Lani lovingly prodded for answers, but when Kono merely sniffed, Lani stopped asking questions and began promising that everything would be alright. Kono, her senses focused on her surroundings, only half-listened to the kind woman telling her the story of how her best friend ended up in the ICU, and how the prayers of his family and friends may have very well saved his life. Then, suddenly, Lani stopped herself and Kono in the middle of the crowded hallway.

"Whatever happens, God will make everything good again," Lani declared sincerely, holding Kono by the shoulders in the middle of a hallway, "All you have to do is ask for His help."

Kono knew they were close to the ICU. Doctors were rushing in and out of a designated area, and Lani had grown more sincere and sentimental than she already had been. Not wanting guilt to compromise her personal mission, Kono gulped the emotion down.

"Okay," Kono whispered, wincing when tears began to form in Lani's eyes.

"Come on," Lani directed softly, wrapping her arm around Kono's shoulder to lead her.

_I'm taking advantage of a really nice person_, Kono thought with a numb dread, _I'm going to hell._

Pushing her guilt aside once more, she and Lani entered the ICU. Her SEAL wasn't hard to miss, for Officer Wakata's and Officer Kaaua's dark uniforms were like beacons of light in a sea of off-white sheets. They were taking the SEAL's fingerprints, whispering among themselves.

"Whoa, they weren't here before," Lani said, staring at the two officers.

"I can't do this," Kono whispered, a false agony tearing through her words.

She slipped out of Lani's grip and hurried out of the ICU. As she ignored Lani's calls for her, Kono attempted to calculate how much longer the officers would be at the hospital. She kept her head down and tried to form fresh tears in her eyes as she hurried blindly through the hallway traffic.

_Ten minutes_, she decided, Lani closing in on her, _I'll give them ten minutes._

*.*.*.*

After about three minutes, Kono wanted to blow her brains out. Her eyes had become too dry to force any more tears out, and Lani, in her worry, became overbearing. For another five minutes, Lani tried in desperation to persuade her new acquaintance to see her fake fiancé, going as far as dragging her down the hall. In a very smooth and classy manner, given the circumstances, Kono claimed that she wanted to talk to God one-on-one for a while, and politely asked to be alone. Lani bought it and left to check on her friend. That had been a few minutes ago.

Peering over the wall, Kono searched the ICU for anyone she might need to avoid.

Lani and the blonde were northwest from her current position, having another spat next to an injured man, who was sleeping in peaceful ignorance. Kono shriveled behind the wall, nearly jumping out of her skin when she saw Lani walking towards her. However, Lani took no notice of her, and only walked a couple of steps to grab a white curtain and pull it around her friend's bed, allowing all three of them to their privacy.

Kono hurried into the ICU, making her way straight towards the SEAL—

and then she stopped.

She couldn't be seen hanging around the SEAL. Not only was he labeled as a John Doe, but people had just witnessed officers take his fingerprints. Waiting by his bed would bring too many questions, and eventually get her kicked out of the hospital.

Forcing herself to move, Kono walked passed the SEAL's bed. Conveniently, an older woman laid unconscious in the bed next to the SEAL's, and Kono was quick to stand in between her bed and the white curtain that was used as a makeshift wall. Sitting down in the provided chair with a cold sense of guilt, Kono didn't even look at the oriental woman before her as she scooted her chair back to peek over the curtain.

Despite the bandages around his head, the SEAL looked relaxed. For the first time in what felt like weeks, Kono took in a deep, calming breath. After seeing him so panicked earlier that day, it quenched her worry to see that he was okay.

"Who are you?"

For a shocked beat, Kono didn't move.

"Well?"

Defeated, Kono turned to the old oriental woman in the bed behind her, noticing for the first time that there were tubes going down her nose.

_Yup, definitely going to hell_, Kono thought.

"Are you going to make a dying old woman repeat her question?" the woman asked, and Kono couldn't tell if she was humored or upset.

Once Kono heard the word "dying," all considerations of lying went numb in her brain. Before she could fully comprehend it, Kono was spouting out the truth so fast her voice was actually squeaking.

After three minutes of explanation, Kono finally went silent. She cringed under the woman's scrupulous stare, feeling it bore into her very soul and judge her. Kono eventually had to look away from the aged eyes and wrinkled face, but she could still feel the guilt this woman was uprooting from her very heart.

"You're a very sweet girl," the woman said, her smile small and sweet, "Your secret's safe with me."

Kono gaped at her, nearly falling out of her chair.

"Thank you, Auntie," she whispered, shocked by this dying woman's mercy and understanding.

"Anytime, pumpkin. Oh, but could you do me one little favor?"

"Of course. Anything," Kono offered with a passionate gratefulness.

"Could you rub my feet?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank all of you guys for taking the time to review. :) You've asked for Steve, so here he is! Not his greatest moment tho... ;)**

Danny turned over in his bed, feeling sluggish in his movements. On the very edge of consciousness, he was only distinctly aware that something was missing. Another second passed and, with irritation, Danny realized he was no longer embraced by a comfortable warmth. Blindly, his hand reached out in search of his blanket. As he was awkwardly patting everything with his clumsy hand, Chin bursted into the room.

"Kono never came home last night," he announced, his worried voice like a siren in Danny's ears.

"Heard of knocking?" Danny mumbled sleepily.

"Did you hear me?" Chin snapped, a rough hand shaking the blonde's shoulder, "She didn't come home last night, Danny."

"I heard you—knock it off," Danny grumbled, shoving Chin aside before blinking his eyes open.

Chin appeared rather exhausted. His face was pale, his eyes were pinkish, and his whole body was slumped over. Pushing the older man's face farther away from his own, Danny pulled his sleepy form up into a sitting position and further studied his ex-partner.

"Have you been up all night?" Danny questioned, his accusing words sharp with growing awareness, "Chin, she's a grown woman, not your teenage daughter."

"It's not like her to be out all night," Chin rebutted defensively.

"She can take care of herself," Danny assured, the corner of his eye spotting his beloved blanket on the floor, "She's been taking care of us the last eight days."

That was truer than he wanted to admit. He hadn't asked Kono to wash his dishes, do his laundry, and vacuum his floors, and even went as far as forbidding her from doing such things. The woman, being stubborn and insane, ignored his very wishes and continued to clean his home. They argued about this arrangement for days, but when they started arguing about Kono's obsessive cleaning while she was obsessively cleaning, Danny had to throw in the towel. It was too infuriating of a situation to deal with, even for him.

"She's not answering her phone," Chin argued, his own cell phone held securely in his hand.

"Maybe she just doesn't want to talk to you."

"She would at least text me."

"A dinosaur like you knows how to text?"

"This is serious, Danny."

"Oh, come on," Danny spat, grouchy and sore, "She's probably still at the hospital playing hero."

"I called the hospital. Dr. Yeman said he hasn't seen her all night."

Chin's words were slow and loud, a controlled way to emphasize his increasing anger and fear. If the words themselves didn't stun Danny, the tone in Chin's voice would have.

"Oh…" the blonde simply said, discomforted with the quiet presence of disconcertment.

"Get dressed," Chin ordered as he hurried out of the room, "We're going to the hospital."

Danny let out a blunt sigh, annoyance now dominating his emotions. His shoulders slumped, he tiredly turned and stared at his crumpled blanket on the floor. A forlorn feeling tugged at his heart and he let out another sigh.

"Hawaiians." he cursed.

*.*.*.*

When he realized that he was drugged, his heart erratically pounded with alarm. He tried to calm his anxiety, but the concept of being trapped, even within his own body, would not allow his mind to rest. It took several minutes, but he managed to pull himself from unconsciousness and into the waking world.

His vision was blurred longer than desired, but his hearing wasn't impaired in any way. He could hear the rushing footsteps of busy people, the solemn beeps of heart monitors, the whispers of those in despair, the shouts of those frustrated and afraid—there was so much going on, he wasn't sure what to make of it.

_Hospital_, he answered himself silently.

He blinked harder, clearing his vision and witnessing the controlled chaos of the ICU.

_What happened?_

His eyes skittered over his body, his apprehension increasing when he didn't immediately see any damage. With a nervous gulp, he grabbed the hem of his hospital gown and modestly pulled it away from his neck. His entire body seemed to freeze with numbed panic as he gaped at the stitches and ugly coloring that contorted his chest. He was quick to let go of his hospital gown and avert his eyes.

That's when he noticed her.

On the verge of hyperventilating, he merely gawked at the young woman hiding behind the curtain. Only half-awake, she didn't seem to notice that he was conscious. She awkwardly laid upon a very stiff-looking chair, her head and shoulders pointed in his direction while the rest of her body tried to remain hidden behind the thin curtain.

He might have glanced away if she hadn't looked familiar. But if he knew her, why was she sitting over there and not by him? Staring at her, the distraction forcing him to relax, he attempted to remember where he had seen her before. He wasn't given the luxury to do this for more than a minute, for she soon discovered that his eyes were open and fell out of her chair.

"H-hey, you okay?" the woman blurted after popping back up from the floor.

He blinked at her a couple of times, aghast.

"Yeah," he responded, his voice slow with uncertainty, "Are you?"

"What? Yeah, yeah, I'm okay," she assured, brushing herself off before pulling a pink scarf over her forehead. Then her intense brown eyes focused on his as she asked, "Do you remember anything."

He gave himself a moment to remember something—anything—but it was to no avail.

"No," he answered fearfully. Staring at her, he dared to be hopeful, "Do I know you?"

She shook her head, virtually abandoning him to suffer through this nightmare alone.

"Not really. My name is Kono. I'm one of the people that helped you on the beach."

"The beach?" he repeated, confused.

"You don't remember that either, do you?" she asked, though her wincing eyes seemed to already know the answer.

Feeling a little ashamed, he shook his head.

"That's okay. Your memory will come back eventually, and we'll figure out what to do then. Right now, just let your body and mind rest. It'll all work out."

They were words of a stranger, but there was a familial warmth behind them that was soothing. He almost felt at ease.

"Thanks." he said.

She smiled.

"No problem."

"Hey, why are you over there and not over here?" he questioned, peering over her to look at the sleeping woman behind her.

Kono rolled her eyes and let out a silent laugh.

"They only let family visit patients in the ICU. I'm not even supposed to be here."

"Oh…" he responded, processing the information in his muddled mind.

_I'm in the ICU? That can't be good…. Do I have any family?_

"Oh, I see you're awake."

Kono quickly crouched down behind the curtain, disappearing from his view as a doctor approached his bed.

"Uh, um," he stuttered, glancing over to where Kono hid.

"My name is Dr. Yeman," the doctor introduced, grabbing the chart that hung on the end of the bed. His eyes focused on the chart, he asked, "Can you tell me what you remember?"

"No," he admitted, eyes glued to the chart as his mind tortured him with possible scenarios (_terminal—memory will never return—clinically insane_), "I mean, I, uh, don't remember anything."

"That's understandable," Dr. Yeman assured, nodding his head in an attempt to comfort his worried patient while his eyes continued to scan the chart, "Can you tell me the very last thing you remember?"

"…You mean, before I woke up?"

Dr. Yeman finally removed his gaze from the chart and put it on the amnesiac man before him. His aged eyes were tired, but kind, being sympathetic to all they saw.

"I mean whatever you remember, let it out," Dr. Yeman clarified gently.

The amnesiac man gulped, feeling unwanted pressure push down on his shoulders. He tried to concentrate, tried to search through the mess that was currently his brain, but the only memory he could seem to grasp was meeting Kono. He glanced towards the curtain she concealed herself with, trying to comprehend his present circumstances.

"Um," he started out, silently berating himself for being such a bumbling idiot, "I, um, I don't really remember anything, other than waking up."

Dr. Yeman immediately became suspicious. The patient gulped again.

"You know," Dr. Yeman said, bringing that chart to his side as he stiffened his posture, "a heart monitor can work as a lie detector. I know you just lied to me."

The patient glanced over at his heart monitor and mentally smacked himself.

"Well, uh," he stuttered, listening as the heart monitor's volume increased, "I, um, I didn't—I wasn't—"

"Just tell me the truth. Your secrets are safe with me. Doctor-patient confidentiality."

The amnesiac man let out a breath, debating how effective the doctor-patient confidentiality would be in keeping this secret.

"You know," Dr. Yeman continued, "unless you have committed murder or something."

"No, no, didn't do that," the patient blurted, coughing out a humorless laugh.

Dr. Yeman cocked an eyebrow.

"I mean, I don't remember—not that I would—I, uh—"

"He met me," Kono confessed, having walked around the curtain to stand next to Dr. Yeman.

"You," Dr. Yeman babbled, startled.

"That's the last thing he remembers. He woke up, and then he met me."

"Your cousin called three times last night asking me if you were here." Dr. Yeman lectured, unprepared anger fueling his voice.

"He did _what_?" Kono barked.

"Not only that, but you ignored hospital policy. You broke into the ICU, essentially. This is all very serious."

Kono didn't look intimidated, but she didn't question the doctor's words either. His facial expression was one of authority, as well as one of disappointment, and Kono couldn't help but respect the man for simply doing his job. She did what she had to do, now he was doing what he had to do. She took the pink scarf off her head, her small way of surrendering.

"Hey, hey, wait," the patient called, preventing Dr. Yeman from doing anything further, "She just wanted to make sure I was okay. And she helped me calm down when I was freaking out a couple minutes ago."

The heart monitor proving the patient truthful, Dr. Yeman sighed.

"Please, could you just…give her a warning or something?" the amnesiac man requested.

Feeling torn, yet already knowing his decision, Dr. Yeman gave Kono a cold stare.

"…Fine…but if you do anything like this again, I'm going to have to report you to the authorities."

Before Kono could respond, her name was being called out across the ICU. Turning, both her and Dr. Yeman witnessed Chin hurrying towards them.

"Why didn't you answer my calls?" Chin exclaimed, barging in between Kono and the doctor.

"I lost my bag," Kono answered, raising both of her arms to further clarify her statement true, "And why did you call the hospital three times? Seriously, Chin, I'm not four anymore."

"Told you," Danny chimed in, casually hanging back next to a rather attractive nurse.

Chin looked at a loss for words, not sure of whether to feel offended or embarrassed.

"Wait," the patient spoke out, interrupting their personal moment. He observed the two former detectives for an intense second, seeing something no one else seemed to, "I remember you…"

_"A SEAL tattoo? You're a navy SEAL?"_

_"I guess."_

_"I'll go get them."_

_"Wait, go get who?" _

_"Hey, take it easy! You nearly died, who do you think she's getting?"_

_"Danny…. She's going to get the paramedics to make sure you're alright."_

"From the beach…" the patient continued, the memory distracting his train of thought, "You all…you saved my life."

No one knew what to say after that. The air seemed to obtain its own emotion, sensitive to their very breaths. Chin and Kono were the only ones brave enough to keep eye contact with the victim, seeming to withhold the intensity of his gaze with graceful ease.

"Doc, please," the patient said, looking over at Dr. Yeman, "If it's alright with them, I…I really need them here…. They may be the closest thing to family I have right now."

Danny cringed in the background, not liking where this was headed. He felt bad for the guy, but being his surrogate family? No, Danny definitely did not like where this was headed. He could already picture himself getting brutally murdered by this guy's hypothetical bookie/drug dealer/bad guy.

"Actually, I received a call about forty minutes ago from the Honolulu police department," Dr. Yeman announced, returning the chart to the end of the bed once more. By the look of confusion and worry across all of their faces, he quickly explained that a couple of officers took the patient's fingerprints and discovered his identity through a military database, "Your name is Steven McGarrett, and your next of kin is your sister, Mary McGarrett. I called her shortly after my conversation with the police officer, and she should be here within an hour."

The patient—Steven—appeared rather shocked and unnerved. A hope sprung in his eyes though, and while all of that information had been overwhelming, it had also been reassuring. At least he now felt he had some direction—a northern star he could travel towards to find his answers.

"See, he's going to be just fine," Danny said, drawing all attention towards himself. Uncomfortable, he continued, "Now, let's get out of here. All of these sick people are giving me the creeps."

Kono cocked an eyebrow at him, allowing a moment for her to revel in confusion. Danny Williams made no sense to her. One minute he was trying to ditch the vic—Steven—then he's arguing with Dr. Yeman about being able to see him, then he does ditch Steven, then he comes back to Steven, and now he was trying to ditch Steven again. As much as Kono had pondered his character the previous night, she just could not understand the workings of Danny Williams.

Chin wasn't so easy to understand either, despite having known him all her life. He hadn't treated like a child in over a decade, and why he chose to now Kono couldn't be sure. They were both grown people who could take care of themselves. Did he not believe she was capable of caring for herself? She did tell him she got fired. Perhaps it was only fair for him to be a little overprotective.

Kono glanced over at Chin with suppressed guilt, surprised to discover that he was gawking at Steven as if he was the Holy Grail.

"Steve McGarrett?" Chin repeated, his tongue familiar with the words.

"Wait, you know him?" Danny questioned, striding closer towards Chin.

"I knew his father," Chin admitted, appearance softening as he stared at Steve in a new light, "I only met Steve once, years ago, when he was a kid. I met Mary too."

"You've gotta be kidding me," Danny spat, shoving his hands through his greasy hair.

"You knew my dad? You knew me?" Steve asked Chin, overflowing with hope and excitement.

Chin nodded, refusing to take his eyes off the man he hadn't seen in almost twenty years.

Kono turned to the doctor, asking him if they could all stay. She gave a small pout to further persuade him, but Dr. Yeman was already puddy in her hands.

"Until Miss McGarrett gets here," he relunctantly agreed, "and no longer. Understood?"

Kono answered for all of them, much to Danny's displeasure.


	6. Chapter 6

**I know, I'm super-late again. :P In all honesty, I just got bored with H50 and this story. But, for whatever reason, I got back into them! Yay! ;) Anyway, same stuff applies-criticize me, point out the flaws, etc., etc. :) And thank you to all who reviewed. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of _Scooby Doo_. **

Mary had never gone through a pack of cigarettes so fast. She was shocked and depressed when her fingers reached into the pack, discovering it vacant of her precious nicotine. She was tempted to go to a store and buy ten more packs, but it was almost time for her to get on her plane. It was silly, but she couldn't help feel torn about what she should do, so anxious that she was developing an appetite for the dead skin on her lips. These were the types of situations when she really _needed_ her cigarettes. Under normal circumstances, Mary wouldn't consider herself an addict. She only smoked when her anxiety got the best of her, which, as far as she was concerned, was almost the same thing as taking some anxiety-medicine. Today, however, trembling and fidgeting in a plastic seat in a Maui airport, Mary considered the possibility of her being addicted to nicotine. It was either considering that possibility or the other one—the one that involved Steve being amnesiac forever because she had been too stubborn and petty to call him on days that weren't holidays.

_Stop that_, she berated herself, _You're being ridiculous…. Man, I could really use a smoke._

When it was announced that it was time to board, Mary cursed before fumbling with her carry-on—the only thing she was bringing to Hawaii's main island.

_What if he's dead before I get there? I should call—stop that! The doctor said he was fine. Well, as fine as he could be. There's a big gash over his chest—his heart—what if he stops breathing? What if I don't—STOP IT!_

Her thoughts, sprinting out of her mind before she could stop them, tortured her by resurrecting uncomfortable emotions. She hated being this way. She hated feeling so helpless that she reduced herself to panic rather than reason.

_I need a smoke._

The flight felt much longer than it actually was, and Mary couldn't help but replay her childhood memories in her mind's eye. They were happy memories (her and Steve playing Scooby-Doo on the beach, her mom making her famous chocolate cake, her dad and Steve wrestling while she and her mother shook their heads disapprovingly) up until the day her mother died. After that, everything went downhill. Mary pressed her face against the glass, having been assaulted by her painful past.

She was thirteen when her happy, normal life was destroyed. Her mother had just died and her father was heading towards a deep depression. For whatever reason—perhaps out of grief, Mary considered—her father sent his children to the mainland while he remained home on his beloved island. It only took a month for her new living arrangements to make her into a suicidal smoker.

Mary bit into her pointer finger. She really needed a cigarette. All of these thoughts and memories, the ones she was so accustomed to blocking out, were unrelenting in their intrusion of her mind. It was almost excruciating.

_I can't do this. I can't handle this._

Her aunt Clara, so much a Catholic that she was practically a nun, was a harsh woman. She never physically abused her, but she constantly belittled Mary whenever she thought her niece was doing something "sinful." She would always tell Mary things like "God doesn't like His children disrespecting authority" and "God doesn't like it when His children ask for too many things" and "God doesn't like it when His children make-out with boys they barely know." It wasn't necessarily the words that bothered Mary, but the way her aunt said them. She used such a passive-aggressive, condescending tone that Mary wanted to punch her teeth in sometimes. But even that wasn't the worst of it. The worst of it was when Clara enrolled her in a Catholic school where passive-aggressive tones went to die. Some of the nuns there were much more forward and condemning than Clara ever was, and, while there were a lot of nice nuns there as well, Mary always seemed to grab the attention of the mean ones.

Steve used to call her back then; every day. He had been sent to one of their older cousin's house to live with him and his family. Mary resented her father for forcing his own children away, but she hated him for separating her from her brother, the last piece of family she truly had left (she refused to acknowledge Clara as a family member). She always imagined Steve hated their father too, but he rarely said anything regarding the older man…or himself. Steve never talked much about himself back then. He always asked about her.

Emotion choked Mary as tears overflowed from her eyes. She had been the one to break contact, not Steve. Steve was always there for her, and _she_ abandoned _him_…just like their father had abandoned her. The last thing she ever wanted to be was her father, a selfish coward who was willing to throw his own children aside in order to forget the woman he claimed to love. But, though the circumstances were vastly different, Mary still could see the similarities between herself and her father, and now Steve was….

_Please, please be okay._

*.*.*.*

They all had a fairly superficial chat, considering the situation, in which Danny said absolutely nothing while Chin and Kono made pleasant conversation with Steve. As Dr. Yeman requested, Chin stayed vague when he talked about some of his memories involving Steve, much to the amnesiac's annoyance. However, all of them knew Steve would be better off if he regained his memories on his own.

"Maybe when you get checked out, we could visit your old high school," Chin said, shoulders up and eyes full of youthful energy, "Your father would sometimes bring me along to pick you up from school."

"Really?" Steve said with a curious grin, "What did you two do anyway? You seemed to have spent a lot of time together."

"We were cops."

"My dad was a police officer?"

Steve had sounded so excited about the revelation that Chin wondered if he had said too much. He let the worry go though after seeing pride sparkle in the SEAL's eyes, and he found a long-kept pride swell within his own heart.

"He was the best." Chin said.

"Chin was a close second though," Kono joked, making her cousin snort sarcastically.

"Not as close as you think." he joked back, and he smiled so wide that his teeth peeked out from behind his lips.

It was all so sweet that Danny's bitterness doubled in size. He also wasn't happy that he was the only one standing, the hospital_ apparently_ not having enough chairs to seat every single visitor. He would have complained more if the SEAL's presence wasn't making him feel so uncomfortable. It had been a long time since he dealt with a victim, and even then Chin did most of the talking. Danny just wasn't cut out for all this nice-sympathetic-stuff. His ex-wife would agree with that more than anyone.

"It's time for you to go now," Dr. Yeman said, disrupting Danny's from his thoughts.

The doctor had appeared out of nowhere, startling Danny just by standing next to the former detective. However, his appearance was too damaged by exhaustion to be in any way threatening.

"What?" Kono asked, standing up in preparation for battle.

"I'm sorry, but the police officers will be here shortly to take Mr. McGarrett's statement. You must leave now."

"Police?" Steve repeated. His face paled, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Chin answered before Dr. Yeman could, "They just want to figure what happened. To see if there are any other victims in this," _crime_ he almost said, "…case."

His body visibly calmed, but Steve's face still portrayed his worried emotions.

"Go. Now," Dr. Yeman commanded, stressing the syllables of each word.

"We'll be back. Don't worry," Kono told Steve as an invisible force pushed her away from him, "Everything will be okay."

Steve nodded, saying a quiet "'kay."

Chin waved his goodbye while Danny just walked away. Noticing this, Kono made a quick haste towards the leaving-blonde. He had been rude towards Steve the entire time they were with him and, frankly, Kono didn't sleep well the previous night. This would not go down well for the haole.

"Kala!"

Kono stopped dead in her tracks. She noticed with some distress that both Chin and Danny were watching her as she falsified a smile and turned towards Lani. She opened her mouth to speak, but was startled to see that Lani was much closer to her than Kono originally thought. Before she could recover from that minor shock, Kono's eyes snapped down to her presumably lost bag that Lani now held in her hands.

"You left this behind in the bathroom. Penny brought it out with her when she came here to check on her brother."

_Penny? …the blonde woman._

"Thank you," Kono said, grabbing the bag.

Not having the energy to keep up the charade, Kono spun around to hurry out of the ICU. She caught Danny's eyes staring at her with confused curiosity and she could only imagine what the judgmental man was thinking.

"Wait, wait!" Lani said, ceasing Kono's movements by placing a hand over her shoulder, "How's your fiancé?"

It became peculiarly quiet then. The ICU was always noisy with busyness and movement, but the sound within her own personal bubble seemed to evaporate into dead-silence. She couldn't see Chin, but she felt his stupor jolt out of him like an atomic bomb. Danny she could see, unfortunately, and the frustration that sprouted ten feet up from his understanding was almost painful to observe.

Lani was none the wiser.

"He's fine," Kono said, her words stressed by what they secretly admitted.

Danny banged his head against the doorframe.

"So you saw him?" Lani asked.

Kono dipped her shoulder from Lani's grip and rushed out of the ICU. Lani, confused and tired from lack of sleep herself, remained standing where she was.

*.*.*.*

"I don't want to hear it." Danny said.

"Well I do." Chin argued, "Kono doesn't lie—not like this."

Kono sighed, feeling oddly detached from an argument that was focused on her. Under normal circumstances, she would be offended by people talking about her as if she weren't walking right behind them, but she was too exhausted to care. Danny's apartment never felt farther away as she trudged her sore legs to the building. Danny and Chin, enthralled by their argument, had long since abandoned her in the parking lot and were now making their way up the wooden staircase.

"Really? Because that's all she seems to be doing lately," Danny said, clawing the splintery rail.

"Watch it," Chin warned, his voice thin and his eyes glancing over at his cousin.

"No, you don't get to tell me what to do," Danny spat venomously.

The two stopped once they reached Danny's floor. Chests raised, heads lowered, they glared at one other with wounded anger. Danny's hand continued to claw into the rail, and Kono, vision blurred by fatigue, could still see his fingers paling underneath the pressure their owner put upon them.

"You are living in _my_ house. Not only you, but _your cousin_ too. You have no right to demand anything of me."

"I'm just asking you to respect _my cousin_," Chin said slowly, purposefully, without much movement from his lips.

"I don't have to respect her," Danny growled. He then let out a hollow laugh, his right hand refusing to free its grip from the rail as his left hand swooped through the air, "More than that, I _shouldn't_ respect her for being a liar!"

"How _dare_ you. You don't ever—"

"He's right, Chin." Kono interrupted.

Both men looked over at her. She stood about ten steps below from where they stood, her hair glimmering under the sun's powerful rays. She was squinting against the harshness of the light, and the tears that formed in her eyes almost looked like they were created by emotion rather than by nature.

"I am a liar. And a good one."

She continued to speak as she made her steady way up the steps.

"Not just back at the hospital, but I lied to you too, Chin. I didn't get fired from my old job. I quit."

"Quit?" Chin said, staring at his cousin as she stepped onto Danny's floor. She faced him now, the sun's bright distraction being hidden behind the building's porch-roof, "Why would you quit?"

Kono shrugged.

"I loved surfing, but it never felt enough. I want to do something more with my life. I want to help people, not entertain them. That's why…a long time ago, I decided that I wanted to be a cop."

Chin didn't know why he felt so surprised by Kono's confession. He always believed that she would make a great investigator of some sort if that was the path she chose. So many of their relatives were in law enforcement, it was practically a family tradition to become a cop. But he had seen the pure joy in Kono's eyes when she surfed and had simply accepted that that was what she wanted to do.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" he asked her, his soft tone assuring her that he was more than accepting of her decision.

Something painful flickered behind her strong facial expression, stiffening the muscles in her cheeks ever so slightly. Chin had a gnawing feeling within his stomach.

"When I was sure of my decision, I told my mom," Kono said, scratching her arm absentmindedly, "And, of course, she told our entire family. Well, I mean, except for…" she looked at him guiltily, and he nodded his understanding, "Anyway, after that, things got a little out of hand. Before I knew it, I had quit my job and started the academy. Uncle A'alona was paying for school, but when he found that out I believe you're innocent…."

Chin's face was stony by the time she paused, and he tried to swallow down the unwelcomed emotions that clotted within his chest.

"It came down to a choice," Kono continued strongly, "and I chose you. A'alona stopped paying for school, I got evicted from my apartment, and my mother can barely pay her own bills… Chin, I would have never imposed if I knew you were going to be evicted too. You just had the apartment for so long, I thought you had a lot of financial security. And then when you did get evicted…I couldn't just leave you alone."

Chin let out a breath, silent in its shakiness.

"Kono—"

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want to burden you," Kono said quickly, trying to prevent the guilt that had already come, "None of this is your fault, Chin. I know you didn't take that money, and the rest of our family should know that too. They're the ones that have forgotten the meaning of ohana, not us. You, of all people, should not feel shame. _They_ should."

The guilt didn't go away, despite Kono's passionate effort, but the weight on Chin's shoulders lessened just a little. He didn't blame his family for not believing in him, but he cherished that Kono, through all the suspicion and resentment, chose to believe him over so many others. It made his life a little more bearable, if only for a moment.

"I've always got your back, cuz," Kono assured upon seeing the emotion in her cousin's eyes.

Chin felt a hand squeeze down on his shoulder.

"Me too," Danny said, coming up to stand next to Chin. He tightened his grip on his friend's shoulder, "Always."

Chin's eyes watered. Having been abandoned by his own family—having witnessed them rip him from their very lives—it felt so wonderful to be accepted and loved by these incredible people. They looked at him with a determination only brothers-in-arms had, and he felt that very determination grow within himself. If they were willing to be his strength, he was willing to be theirs.

"Thank you," Chin said, knowing they understood the significance of his understatement.


	7. Chapter 7

Mary felt aimless as she searched through the hospital's first floor, her carry-on forgotten on her arm. The nurse at the front desk had given her directions, but her voice had sounded muffled to Mary's ears. Rather than ask the nurse to repeat herself, like any normal person would, Mary thanked her and practically bounded out of the waiting area. Now, she had no idea where she was, her brother was possibly dying somewhere, and her body was shaking from the lack of nicotine in her system. It was tempting to cry then and there. Luckily, before she came to that point, she spotted Steve.

Her breath caught in her throat.

He was paler than she remembered him last, and Mary felt guilty for not knowing if it was a side-effect of his current condition or if he had always been like that. The bandage on his head was intimidating, even though it was there to help. Other than that, nothing physically seemed wrong with him, save for a couple of scratches and bruises here and there. What shook Mary more than anything else was how vulnerable he seemed to be, surrounded by whites and pale blues. Steve seemed so small in this overwhelming hospital setting, and it made it harder for her to breathe. Her older brother had always been the strong one, not her. He was always bigger and tougher than anything life threw at him. However, seeing him in that hospital bed forced Mary to realize that her brother wasn't as invincible and immortal as she made him out to be. That fact alone made it even more difficult for her to breathe, virtually suffocating her, and she gripped the counter top of the nurse's station to regain some control. Her thoughts were jumbled and panicked, unsure of how to process her role in this horrid situation. She couldn't seem to stop staring at her brother and the fear in his eyes, but found herself ripping her gaze from him anyway to study the police officers interrogating him.

"Excuse me," a doctor said, making her jump, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, but are you Miss Mary McGarrett?"

"Yes. Why are they talking to him?" she asked, anxiety accelerating her words.

"They're asking about what happened to him." the doctor said.

"But he has amnesia."

"They still feel the need to try."

"But they're scaring him," Mary said, the statement alone adding fear to her hammering heart.

Steve used to fear nothing.

"I assure you, Miss McGarrett, that is not their intention—"

"Yeah, well, they are, so tell them to go away."

"I…I'm Dr. Yeman, your brother's doctor," he said, ignoring her demand and patting her shoulder.

"Will he get his memory back?" Mary asked him, keeping her stressed gaze on the police officers.

"I'm afraid only time will tell," Mary finally looked at him, her eyes beginning to water once again. Dr. Yeman looked grim yet confident, but Mary found no comfort in his expression, "Bringing him to familiar places—his home perhaps, or one of his schools—and surrounding him with familiar faces should help him regain some of his memory. Telling him some stories about his past will be helpful too, but I advise being vague so he can put the pieces together for himself."

Tears slid down her cheeks. Mary looked back over at her brother, who still seemed fearful of the two uniforms talking to him.

"I should tell you, Miss McGarrett," Dr. Yeman said after a moment of silence, "your brother has been taken very good care of by an old your friend of yours."

"What?" Mary asked, her voice strangled by emotion.

"Mr. Chin Ho Kelly. Does that name seem familiar to you? He told Steve that he used to be your father's partner."

Mary thought a moment, taking the time to swallow and compose herself.

"The name sounds familiar, but I don't remember him." she said.

Dr. Yeman nodded as if he was expecting that answer.

"It was him and two of his friends that saved Steve's life."

Mary's heart constricted.

"R-really?"

"They found him unconscious in the ocean," Dr. Yeman continued cautiously, watching with worry as Mary choked and fidgeted at the new information, "They resuscitated him and called the paramedics."

Mary bit down on her pointer finger, sniffing. She couldn't do this. She couldn't be strong for herself, let alone anyway as important as Steve.

"It was my understanding that Mr. Kelly would be returning today to assist Steve with his memory." Dr. Yeman said.

"Really? When?"

Dr. Yeman motioned towards the police officers.

"As soon as they leave."

Mary wasn't fully conscious of what she was doing until she was standing by her brother's bed. Panic distracting her from her self-awareness, she gave a watery glare at the police officers. Steve's wide-eyed, confused stare went overlooked.

"You're done," she told the officers, her tone simple and stoic, "My brother is sick and needs rest. You have enough information, so leave."

"Ma'am, we're almost done—"

"He can't remember anything, morons," she snapped. Both of the officers glanced at each other, but remained polite in their silence, "You're better off getting information from your horoscopes than you are from him. So, I'm asking—I'm _telling_ you one more time to leave."

"Ma'am—"

"_LEAVE_."

It took a couple minutes of convincing, but they finally obliged to her wishes and left her brother in peace.

"Call him," Mary told Dr. Yeman, her small adrenaline rush dissolving.

Dr. Yeman nodded before heading towards a phone.

Remembering Steve, Mary turned to him. She noted that he no longer seemed as afraid as he did before, but he did appear to be rather stunned to see her there. She didn't know what she could say to him, and was distressed by the fact emotion was compromising her vision and breathing once again. After a few seconds of awkwardness, she finally blurted the first thing that came to mind.

"Hi."

He blinked at her.

"Hi," he said back.

When the phone rang, Danny knew it would be the hospital. He didn't bother answering the shrieking device, knowing someone else was going to beat him to it. Absentmindedly, he chewed at his lip, remaining in his lounged position over his scratchy couch (aka: Chin's uncomfortable bed) as he listened to the quiet sounds of the phone being answered. He could hear Chin speaking from some other location in the apartment. Then he heard the small _beep_ of Chin ending the call.

"I'm going back to the hospital," his ex-partner said, appearing from the hallway and heading towards the door.

"Already?" Danny asked, though he didn't know why he bothered.

"Steve's sister is there."

Not asking for details—not caring about details—Danny asked Chin if he would want to wake Kono, who slept like a tranquilized bear in Grace's room.

"Let her sleep," Chin said before he stepped outside and shut the apartment door.

Danny stared at the door for an indifferent moment. Then he lulled his head towards the TV, whose blank screen impassively mocked him. Danny merely huffed at the screen, determined to not let is lack of cable get the best of him. So he couldn't watch _all _the games he wanted to see. TV was known to rot brains anyway. Or, so Gracie used to tell him.

Thinking about his daughter brought a dull ache in his chest, which motivated Danny to get up and retrieve some beer. He went to the fridge to do just that, only to discover they were fresh out of his precious beverage. Feeling a little desperate, he went as far as to search through his secret stash of whisky, but found that he was out of that too. Danny cursed.

He hadn't wanted to face his growing financial crisis, but it was becoming too significant to overlook any further. It didn't help that Kono had repeatedly mentioned the money troubles her own family seemed to be having. It meant that his place was her and Chin's last resort before they were forced into homelessness or, at least, into someone else's home. There had to be someone else on this horrifying island that didn't hate Chin's guts…

_Right?_ Danny thought.

He hated it when he doubted himself. It made his actions hesitant, which often made the results of said actions less effective. But, with Chin and Kono living with him, they were not only sucking up his money like a bottomless vacuum, they were giving Danny a renewed sense of duty. This was his home, and he was responsible for its residents. That was a lot of pressure, pressure he had grown used to living without, and it was forcing Danny to reevaluate his occupational status.

Due to his loyalty to Chin, and due to every single cop's paranoia towards Internal Affairs, Danny couldn't get any type of job in law enforcement. He had to settle for a few lower jobs—cashier, janitor, waiter—but all of them ended with him losing his temper and getting fired. For the most part, he had been surviving on his emergency funds, which could have lasted him another month or so if Chin and Kono hadn't moved in.

Danny sighed—almost groaned—as he finally accepted a decision he had never wanted to make. Having been hired and fired by so many of the surrounding businesses, his job-options were virtually none. There was only one job left, as far as he could see, that he still had a chance of getting. And that mere fact alone was killing the last remaining shred of dignity Danny had left.

_I hate Hawaii…so much._

When he was told Steve McGarrett was alive, he almost laughed. However, instead of letting out his pent up chuckles, he shoved the messenger to the wall and demanded explanation. All he got was a threat from the kid's tiny voice.

"He already knows. And you know what he does to those who make a mess," the kid said, his lips quivering.

The temptation to choke the kid probably would have been stronger if fear hadn't churned in his gut. There was truth to the whiny words presented to him.

"Get out of here," he growled, grabbing the kid by the scruff of his neck and throwing him towards the door.

The kid was out of there in a matter of seconds.

His shot of vodka sat on the bar counter behind him. The liquid was calm in its small container, sparkling under the bar's dulling lights. It was quiet in its promising of soothing his stress, and he was almost tempted to turn around and gulp it down. However, he pushed the desire aside and tossed the barkeep a twenty dollar bill before snaking his away around a couple of tables and heading out the door.

He wasn't used to making mistakes. Granted, he wasn't use to having an opponent like Steve McGarrett. He had to go underground for almost a year because of the SEAL's obsessive search for him, and even then he was almost caught on a number of occasions. He had been a fool to think five rounds to the ocean's surface would kill McGarrett, but blood had pooled at the water's top..._a lot_ of blood…. He was almost as afraid of McGarrett's capabilities as he was irritated by them.

He took in a breath, letting the night air warm his lungs. He recognized that the alcohol in his system was compromising his judgment, having stumbled over his own feet one too many times. He would have to sleep the drunkenness off before he could properly figure out his next move. McGarrett was thorough and precise, making patience and caution dire for survival. However, regardless of all of that, he knew there was one call he had to make.

He was alone. That part of the city was particularly shady and unvisited, so he allowed himself to relax a little and leant against grimy building. The sounds of the ocean were soft and distant, and perhaps would have lulled him to sleep if he hadn't been so determined to take out his phone. He pushed down on one number before pressing the phone to his ear.

_"This better be important, Hess,"_ the voice on the other end growled, remnants of sleep hidden in its sharp tone.

"McGarrett survived."

_"…What?"_

"You heard me. Keep a low profile. I'll find you tomorrow."

_"How are you—"_

He hung up the phone, looking at nothing in particular as the wheels began to turn in his head.


	8. Chapter 8

**Phew, I got this chapter posted before the week was over. ;) I apologize for the tardiness again, _again, again_. :P But I have a possible solution to defeat my tardy-behavior! I have noticed that a number of fanfic-writers on this site give themselves due-dates. Having only written fanfics for two people (one of those people being me), I usually just wrote for a fanfic whenever I wanted to/was able to. Since I'm writing a fanfic for more than two people (obviously), this system is going to have to change. So my goal is to post a chapter of Nalo every Friday until the fanfic is done. :) Hopefully that makes my posting more consistent.**

**Thank you for your guys' patience, reviews, story-favorites, story-alerts, etc. I really appreciate all of those things. :) And, again, criticisms are more than welcomed to enter the review-box-thing and/or my private messages.**

Chin held the warm paper cups of coffee in his hands, staring at Mary's head, which was lolled uncomfortably over the back of the chair. He doubted that the woman was asleep, but he still felt the need to leave her be. His eyes wandered over to Steve, who truly was sleeping even though the morning light intruded his space.

Chin sat down in his chair next to Mary's, awkwardly holding the cups of coffee in the air.

She had been quiet all night. Chin remembered her as a teenager, chatting away about the most random of things, smiling and laughing at moments that didn't seem funny to him. She was so much more solemn now, though she fidgeted and twitched like a hyped-up squirrel. He and Steve did a lot of the talking that night, mostly about how Steve's dad had been Chin's mentor, while Mary sat staring at the wall. Steve seemed more curious than offended, reflecting Chin's own emotions on the subject. Steve eventually fell asleep, and Mary went to the "bathroom," or so she claimed. She was gone for almost an hour. When she returned, she wore a different set of clothes and her bag smelt of cigarette smoke. He noticed the twitching had stopped, but he didn't comment on it. He only asked her if she was alright, in which she answered "sure."

Chin felt a presence approach him and turned to greet the person. His mouth open to speak, he hesitated. It was a young woman standing before him now, sporting a gray baseball cap and a large, dark pair of sunglasses. Chin cocked an eyebrow at her.

"What? I need to be in disguise." Kono said.

"Ah…good job?"

"Do you want your coffee or not?"

She held two cups of real-world coffee in her hands. The cups were larger than a small fist and they actually had lids.

"Your 'disguise' needs some work, but I'll give you points for bringing the coffee."

Kono smirked, but handed him his coffee anyway. Chin glanced down at the hospital-coffee he had in his hands before hurrying off to rid himself of the unwanted liquid. Kono didn't hesitate to take his seat. As she settled into her stolen chair, Kono glanced over at Mary and was startled to discover the blonde woman staring at her.

"Oh, hi," Kono said, feeling awkwardly limited with two sets of beverages occupying her hands. She handed Mary one of the cups to end that problem, "I bought you coffee."

Mary, with a hesitant hand, took the cup offered to her. Her eyes never left Kono, suspicious of something. Of what, Kono wasn't sure.

"Who are you?" Mary asked.

"Oh," Kono said, understanding, "I'm Kono. I'm Chin's cousin."

"She's also a chair-stealer."

Kono turned her head towards her cousin, who was already holding his hand out for his coffee. Obliging to the silent demand, Kono placed the warm cup in Chin's hand. This short interaction seemed to relax Mary enough to give her the courage to take a sip of her own caffeinated beverage.

It became awkward then. Chin drank his coffee in pondering silence, observing Steve without really seeing him. Mary's eyes stayed focus on the tiles below her feet, not daring to glance up for more than a second. Kono tapped the arms of her chair with nervous tension, waiting for something—anything—to happen. It took about forty seconds, but she managed to start a topic that defeated the uncomfortable silence.

"So, do you live around here?"

Mary's head jostled slightly, her eyes snapping up at the young Hawaiian sitting next to her.

"No, no, I live in Maui. Do you?"

Kono smiled, but Mary interrupted her before she could get a single sound out.

"Of course you live here. You're living with your cousin, and he lives here," Mary said, sounding embarrassed. She shook her head as if chastising herself before taking a long gulp of coffee, "I'm sorry, I'm still a little…frazzled, I guess."

"It's fine," Kono assured her, "It's completely understandable."

Mary said nothing to that, her unspoken words voicing her disagreement.

"Is there any place here you can stay?" Chin asked, preventing what would have been another moment of awkward silence, "Does Steve live on the island?"

"Not that I know of," Mary said quietly, tears welling in her exhausted eyes, "I haven't talked to him in years."

Kono swallowed, trying to think of the right words she could say to ease the pain that radiated off of Mary. When no words came to mind, Kono considered placing a hand on the blonde woman's shoulder, but decided against it at the last moment. The compassionate action didn't sound as helpful as she wanted it to be.

"You can stay with us for as long as the two of you need."

Both Kono and Mary snapped their attentions to Chin, who continued to drink his coffee in nonchalance.

"Are you sure Danny would be okay with that?" Kono asked.

"I don't want to impose," Mary added, shaking her head.

"Danny will be fine with it…eventually. And you're not imposing Mary, I'm offering. It's rent-free."

Mary's head stopped shaking, tilting towards the floor in thought. She then brought her gaze upon her brother, who grunted and fidgeted in his sleep. She wanted to smile—laugh, even—at how funny he looked sleeping like that, but the humor dulled in her head before it was fully registered.

She hadn't put much thought into what she would do when Steve got out of the hospital. Subconsciously, she supposed, she had been hoping Steve would regain his memory before then so that he could handle this mess on his own. Then she could run away from everything…again. Mary sighed. Self-loathing plagued her as her past and present nagged at her. She came to Hawaii to fix things, not to abandon them and ignore their existences. She couldn't be thinking that way anymore, both for her sake as well as for Steve's.

For the briefest moment, she considered bringing him to her new home in Maui, but she immediately tossed that idea aside. It wasn't because he needed to remain on the main island to find his answers, though that was a significant reason in itself. It was because he wasn't ready for the answers she found in Maui. Honestly, Mary still wasn't ready for them.

"Okay," Mary finally relented, shifting her eyes to Chin's.

His smile, meant to be reassuring, did little to ease her fears. Regardless, she smiled back. Then, something similar to awareness came over Chin's face and he turned to look down at Kono.

"Where is Danny, anyway?"

She shrugged.

"He dropped me off and then went to go do some errands."

"Errands?"

"That's what he told me."

*.*.*.*

He _hated_ Hawaii. He had always said that, always proclaimed it with sadistic pride, but that day he truly meant it from the bottom of his heart. He. Hated. Hawaii. And he didn't care how racist it sounded, he hated Hawaiians. They were lunatics with all of their surfing, pineapple-eating, sweating, incomprehensible slangs, flip-flops, hula dancing, sissy flower-necklaces—and the worst of it, the main reason why his particular hatred for the island and its people had spiked that day, was that he was becoming one of them. He, too, was now a lunatic, wearing flip-flops and flailing his arms about in hot, suffocating weather. He never felt more like a mindless zombie than he did at that moment.

"Danny, brah, stop moving your arms around so fast. You look like you're trying to fly off the ground."

_If only_, Danny thought, obediently slowing his arm-flailing.

"And try to look more excited! Remember, you are conveying the pure deliciousness of the most scrumptious shave ice in all of Hawaii."

Danny stopped then, his frustration peaking for a monumental moment as he turned towards his new boss. The core of his body was trapped in a smiley snow cone costume (he didn't care what Kamekona said, he was dressed as a snow cone, not as _shave ice_), his own head encased in a giant, round snow cone head. His limbs popping out of the costume and having the ability to move about, Danny was able to swoop his hand angrily towards his face—or, more precisely, towards the _snow cone's_ face, where an inhuman grin was plastered on. With his index finger, Danny made purposeful points at the terrifying artificial smile.

"No, no, the smile is beautiful," Kamekona called out. He dutifully stood behind his shave ice cart several feet away from Danny, "It's the posture that needs work. Your slouching kills the enthusiasm you want to express."

Danny mumbled a few curses as he straightened his back out. Then he turned back around towards the potential customers and flailed his arms about once more.

"Add a hop to your step," Kamekona instructed, preparing a shave ice dessert for a customer that recently arrived, "Everyone loves a mascot who hops."

Danny growled, scaring a couple of kids away from the area. Ignoring them, he did as told and added a hop to his step, cursing each time his feet met the ground just for the sake of rebellion.

"It's okay, brah. We'll work on it later," Kamekona said before tending to another customer.

"Kill me. Kill me _now_," Danny begged a little too loudly, disturbing an old woman who just happened to walk by. She gave him a nervous glare, to which he responded, "You know I didn't mean _you_. Stop staring at me like that. You remind me of my nun."

Her glare deepend.

*.*.*.*

Hess was so motionless in his car he seemed invisible. One arm rested on his leg while the other was propped up against the door. The car, ordinary enough to be easily overlooked, was dead-silent as it filled up with heat. Hess ignored the discomfort his body screamed at him and kept his eyes glued on the hospital entrance. It was only when he saw McGarrett walk out did he allow his body the luxury of twitching.

He had already been informed of McGarrett's amnesia and of his sister leaving her home in Maui. However, the two people that walked out with them—a younger woman and an oriental man—was a surprise. More than that, the fact that those two mysterious people were leading McGarrett and his sister to, what he assumed to be, their car was also startling. Unsure of what to make of it, Hess waited for them to drive out of the parking lot before starting his own car.

*.*.*.*

"Home sweet home," Chin announced as he entered the apartment, lightly tossing the keys on the coffee table.

"I'd give you guys the grand tour," Kono said, fully immersing herself in the apartment's atmosphere before turning to stare at the nervous guests, "but this is about it. The bathroom is that door by the kitchen, and the other two doors are to two ridiculously small bedrooms."

Both of the McGarretts nodded, glancing about themselves with awkward uncertainty.

"…Okay," Kono said when she received no response, "Well, Steve, you'll be sleeping in this room," Kono pointed to a door by the couch and Steve nodded, "I hope you don't mind, but it's Danny's daughter's room, so you'll be sleeping on a pink bed."

"That's fine. Thank you," Steve said, a blush hinting his cheeks and a yawn hidden in his throat, "Would it be alright if…if I take a nap? I'm, uh, pretty tired. Think it's the meds."

"Of course," Kono said, leading Steve into the bedroom.

While Kono was getting Steve acquainted with his new room, Mary remained stiff by the front door. She wrung her wrists absentmindedly, trying to pretend Chin wasn't watching her.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

She nodded, refusing to make eye contact in fear that he would see the tears building up in her eyes.

"Alright," Chin said, knowing it best not to push, "Well, feel free to take a seat. I'm going to make dinner."

"Thanks," Mary said, waiting for Chin to turn his back before she felt comfortable enough to sit on the couch.

She hadn't been seated for long when she heard laughter coming from Steve's new room. Mary perked her head up, watching as both Kono and Steve exited the room, chuckling in a reserved manner.

"The other room has a bigger bed," Kono said, motioning for Steve to follow her.

Chin, a box of pasta noodles in his hand, turned towards Kono upon hearing her statement. The "other room" was Danny's bedroom. He remained silent as good-natured Steve, unsuspecting of the trespassing he was about to do, followed his cousin into the blonde's room. There was so many reasons to protest against Steve's _new_ new sleeping arrangements (all having to do with the Danny's temper), but having always suspected that Grace's bed was too small for Steve's tall and broad frame, Chin didn't have the heart to stop them. Shaking his head in a defeat that felt more amusing than it should have felt, Chin turned back to face the kitchen. He was taking out a large pot from the cupboard when Kono returned to the kitchen/living room area.

"You're going to have to tell Danny that you gave Steve his room." Chin said.

"After you tell him that you rented out his apartment for free." Kono agreed.

They both nodded at each other before looking away.

"Is 'Danny' mean?" Mary asked.

Kono snorted, several jokes running through her head based on Mary's question. Hearing the worry in the blonde woman's voice, however, managed to compose Kono to assure her new guest of Danny's good heart. When Mary didn't believe her, Kono put on a movie. No more questions were asked.


	9. Chapter 9

**So far, this deadline-thing is working. :) Thank you guys for the reviews, story-alters, story-favorites, etc. Let me know what you think.**

Danny felt an ounce of relief wash over his frame as he put the car into park and turned the key. His engine was reduced to silence in seconds. Holding the key limp in his hand, Danny closed his eyes. It was quiet, save for the eerie sounds the wind made. More importantly, as far as Danny's exhaustion was concerned, it was dark. The porch lights on the apartment building, weak with age and incompetence, were the only weapons against the soothing darkness that encased Hawaii. It was tempting to just remain in his car—to use his seat as a bed and fall asleep.

Groaning, Danny opened his car door and exited the vehicle. Out of habit he observed his surroundings, his aching limbs furious that he wasn't hurrying off to bed. It was embarrassing how out of shape he seemed to have gotten. He knew that when he stopped working out it would have its consequences, but he never expected a medial job like "Snow Cone Mascot" would make him so sore. He used to be a cop—_a cop_. He used to do somersaults, dives, some hand-to-hand combat once in a while, and much more. Now….

Not seeing any potential threats, Danny turned and walked up the stairs to his floor.

This was all Kamekona's fault, really. He overworked him his first day on the job. While Danny was grateful that Chin's former criminal consultant was willing to help him out, the man was, quite frankly, insane. He had Danny work until ten o'clock at night, claiming there would still be plenty of customers to advertise to. In a way, Kamekona had been right—if anyone could consider drugged-up freaks gawking at his costume "customers."

He stopped at his door. As quietly as he could, Danny inserted his key into the lock and turned. The soft click that emanated from the doorknob seemed to shriek at his very presence, as if wanting to announce his location to the entire block. It made Danny cringe. The last thing he wanted was Chin and Kono to witness his late-entrance. It would bring about many questions that Danny was too tired to answer cautiously. He would talk with them in the morning about his day, but, at the moment, he just wanted to get into his bed and fall unconscious.

Opening the door, Danny discovered his apartment to be almost completely dark. A white light, blocked by a mysterious figure, was pouring out of the refrigerator in his kitchen. The mysterious figure, either ignoring his presence or ignorant of it, searched through the fridge's contents as quietly as he/she could. Danny, deducting that it was either Chin or Kono, very quietly snuck across the room. Luckily, his bedroom door was slightly ajar, so he snaked his way into his room without making the smallest of noises.

He sighed out a silent breath, cherishing the sense of security he felt being in his own domain. The refrigerator light having compromised his vision, he now walked in his bedroom totally blind. Danny headed towards where he knew his bed was located. Feeling too exhausted to even think about changing into something more comfortable, he reached down towards his comforter with the intention of pulling it up and snugging himself beneath it. He did not expect his hand to meet a human chest.

Panic and instinct barely registered in his brain when he felt a harsh blow to his gut and his arm being twisted around behind his back. Then, with a jarring swiftness, the front half of his body was flattened against his rough carpet. His shouts and curses, though fairly muffled by the carpet, were still loud enough to bring three sets of footsteps hurrying towards his room. Danny, struggling beneath a heavy pressure above him, was relieved when the light was turned on, despite the pain it brought to his adjusting eyes.

"Steve!"

Relief quickly evaporated from his being, leaving roaring anger in its wake.

"Steve! Get off him! It's Danny!"

The pressure on his back disappeared, allowing Danny's sore muscles to lift him up. His eyes still stinging from the unfamiliar brightness of the light, Danny couldn't see properly as he snarled, "_What are you doing?_"

"Danny," Kono said from somewhere by his door. The blonde kept scrubbing his eyes with his hands, his ears listening intently as Kono continued with the ever famous phrase, "I can explain."

He almost laughed then.

"Oh, of course you can because, when insanity strikes, Kono is there to explain everything!"

Danny stood, his vision no longer as compromised as it had been before. He glared at Kono, black splotches dancing around inside his eyes, and waved his hands about with frenzied anger.

"Let me guess, Saint Kono and Pastor Chin. You two found it in your financially broke souls to donate _my_ room in _my _apartment to this maniac!"

Danny didn't notice Mary wince, let alone her presence as all, as he abruptly turned to Steve.

"And what decent human being attacks someone out of the blue like that? What's the matter with you? You could have killed me!"

Steve had the courtesy to look guilty, but Danny refused to be swayed into being some doting caretaker to this mental patient like Kono and Chin clearly had.

"Danny—"

"No, I don't think so, Kelly," Danny barked at his ex-partner, "You don't get to be the rational one in this _insanity_ when, I'm sure, it's all _your fault_!"

Chin made a notable frown, confirming what Danny already knowing to be true, but remained calm and impassive nonetheless. Ironically, it added to Danny's anger.

"Unbelievable. This—_THIS_," Danny shouted, motioning about his entire bedroom (aka: the scene of the crime), "is what I get for being a good person. You people—_and this_ _entire_ _island_—are sucking my _very_ _soul_ out of my body. You're all clinically insane! Did it ever occur to any of you that, this being _my apartment_ and all, that you would need to, say, _ask my permission_ before you invited superman over here for a sleepover? No? I guess not! Clearly, I'm not respected enough to get a say in any of your wise and intelligent decision-making, even though it is _my_ sleeping arrangements on the line! And _my _money! And _my _livelihood! And, what else? Oh yeah, _MY LIFE!_"

By the end of his rant, Danny's eyes met Mary's for one second. Then he quickly shifted his angry gaze to Chin. Though he could already feel the emotion churning under his heart, he refused to feel guilty about this. He was in the right. Mary's glassy eyes, sad enough to break a rock's heart, would not deter him off his course. Besides, he was too drained to emotionally deal with her presence.

"You know what, get out," Danny said, pushing the air with his hands as if he were pushing them, "Just get out."

Chin and Kono hesitated, but complied with cautious steps as they gently herded Mary away from the door. Steve was making his own cautious way to the door when Danny's firm hand clamped down on his shoulder.

"You stay."

Steve turned to look at him, but Danny was already walking in front of him, slamming his bedroom door shut. He then spun around and stared Steve down.

"Get in the bed," Danny ordered, making the effort to point at the bed in question.

Steve blinked.

"Wha—?"

"Get in the bed, or I'll show _you_ how it feels to be punched in the stomach."

It was annoying how unaffected Steve was to his threat. Danny tried to glare to make his statement more sincere, but the maniac simply blinked at him as if _he_ were the mental one. Unfortunately, despite everything, Danny couldn't help but believe that to be true. Regardless, he refused to be ignored in his own apartment, let alone disrespected. He pointed at the bed again.

"Hey, I'm—"

"Bed, McGarrett," Danny interrupted, his voice cold and unwavering.

"Why?"

Danny sighed, his shoulders slumping lower towards the ground, making it seem like his entire body was beginning to deflate. He was so tired—tired of fighting; tired of trying. Why was he even bothering with this guy? With all of the people in his apartment? Danny wasn't sure anymore, and, in that instance, he was a little surprised to find he didn't really care.

"Because you wouldn't be in here if you didn't _need_ my bed. Grace's bed is tiny, the couch is stiff, and you're all…" Danny waved his hand at him, as if that would say more than actual words could, "I'll sleep on the floor. You take my bed."

Steve remained rooted to where he stood. Rather than argue with a man standing so rigid that he could be mistaken for some kind of flesh-statue, Danny trudged over to his bed. He yanked off the comforter, grabbed one of his extra pillows, and then trudged over to the opposite side of the room.

"I don't care what you do," Danny grumbled, dropping the pillow and comforter to the ground before allowing himself to fall on top of them. The hard surface jabbed pain into various points of his body, but he snuggled deep into his pillow as if it were soft, unbreakable cloud, "Just don't touch me, don't talk to me—don't talk at all, really. Just…be still and…quiet."

Even with the light on, darkness was immediate to invade Danny's conscious mind once he closed his eyes. His ears were barely present in the waking world, but they managed to make out the muffled sounds of someone walking to the door, turning off the lights, and then walking to the bed.

*.*.*.*

"You think he's okay?" Mary asked, her voice matching the timid stiffness of her face.

"I don't hear any yelling," Kono said after a quiet moment.

Chin let out a silent breath. He felt emotionally mute, as if his growing shame was somehow clogging up his throat. His guilt for what he put Danny through the past year had never gone away, but it became easier to overlook with each generous gesture his ex-partner gave him. Chin felt a false sense of redemption from those gestures—those gifts—instead of the pity and concern that they were always founded on. He got so comfortable living off of Danny's strength that he hadn't even fully realized just how much he was taking advantage of his best friend. Guilt didn't even begin to describe what he was feeling. Still, there was something else bothering Chin and keeping him in silent thought. It was hard to identify it, seeing as it so cleverly hid behind the shame that seeped into his organs like acid, but Chin could certainly tell that _it_ was there, whatever _it_ was.

"Don't worry. Danny would never hurt an injured person," Kono said, scooting over on the couch to sit closer to Mary, "And even if he would, Steve can clearly take care of himself, with or without memory."

Mary smiled at that.

"Where do you think Danny was all day?" Chin asked, straightening his posture subconsciously at his voiced thought.

"What?" Kono said, tilting her head towards her cousin.

"Where did Danny go today?" Chin asked.

"I don't know. He did get back pretty late though," Kono said, understanding Chin's silent implications, "You going to talk to him tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Chin said, relaxing his posture once more as he studied the ground. Overlooking the emotional gazes that Kono and Mary were pointing at him, he delved deeper into his own guilt and his own sense of responsibility, "I just hope he talks back."

*.*.*.*

_Hours later…._

A raw terror shook through his bones. That was the first thing he was aware of as he snapped his eyes open and released a breathy gasp. His heart was hammering within his chest, as if desperately trying to escape the fear that held it in a sharp, excruciating grip. The sweat on his brow did its job in cooling his hot face, but the rest of his body felt like it was containing boiling blood. He sucked at air with panic, his eyes staring into blackness and his mind trying to comprehend what was happening—what _had_ happened.

"You okay?"

The voice had Steve jumping up into a sitting position. He let out a gasp as pain blossomed in its own pulse inside his chest.

"Relax. I don't need any more bruises from you. Just thought I'd ask."

The voice was hoarse with sleep and, probably, with some bitterness as well.

"Danny?"

Danny snorted.

"Of course it's me. Who else would it be? This is _my_ bedroom."

Steve's ears strained to hear the quiet words over his own slow, weighted breathing. He was finally starting to gain some awareness in his shocked state of consciousness, and his body began to calm.

"You were talking in your sleep," Danny said from somewhere beyond the darkness.

_The floor. He's sleeping on the floor._

"What did I say?" Steve asked, trying to remember the remnants of his most recent nightmare.

Even though it had only occurred seconds ago, the vividness of his dream was fading rapidly from his mind. Steve could remember there being a fire, there being fireworks, and he thought there was someone yelling something….

"Champ." Danny said.

"What?" Steve questioned, confused.

"You said 'champ' over and over again."

That was it. That was what the person was yelling at him.

_"Listen to me, champ."_

Steve grabbed at his hair before immediately releasing it. He never understood why he did that, other than the fact that it gave him a moment's worth of comfort. Ignoring the curiosity of his own odd habit, Steve leaned back against the headboard and let out a breath. While terror no longer possessed his body, there was a sense of foreboding weighing down on his shoulders. His nightmare had some significance to it. Steve wasn't sure how exactly, but if he could just remember something—anything—maybe something would make sense to him.

"What? Was it your dog or something?"

Steve actually considered the possibility, but soon found that answer to be absurd. He told Danny as much.

"Well, _excuse me_. I'm just trying to figure out how your damaged brain works."

"Yeah…me too," Steve said, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

Danny let out a huff.

"Don't make me feel sorry for you. I'm still mad at you."

"I'm sorr—"

"No, no, no. I don't want an apology."

"Then what do you want?"

"What do I want? Well, let's see, for starters, I'd like my bed back, but that's clearly not going to happen seeing as you're all broken."

"I can get out—"

"No, no, no, don't trouble yourself. Your body, apparently, needs to heal more than mine does. I mean, that's what was ruled in this apartment without my knowledge."

"Are you injured too?"

"My pride certainly is."

Steve took a silent moment for thought. Though it was still pitch-black in the room, he could now make out a moving lump across the bedroom from him. Steve stared at it as he pondered something that occurred to him mere seconds ago.

"You know, I think you just like to fight."

"And I think you just like playing the victim."

"What? That's crazy."

"Is it? You don't mind stealing my bed—"

"You offered."

"After you had already stolen it."

"You're just proving my point right now."

Danny snorted again, and Steve thought he could make out the blonde's head shaking in the darkness.

"I don't get it," Steve confessed, reveling in the pleasant distraction of this conversation, "Why would anyone like to fight?"

"First of all, I do not like to _fight_," Danny said, "I like to _argue_."

"There's a difference?"

"There's a _huge_ difference. One involves senseless violence, the other involves rationality under pressure."

"Rationality under pressure?"

"Yes."

"And you, being as irrational as you are—"

"Hey, hey, _I_ am not irrational. It's everything else around me that is irrational."

"Oh, I see," Steve said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"It's true. Here there is pineapple on pizzas, cops don't wear ties, and when people say 'brah' they're talking about full-grown men and not women's undergarments."

As shocked as Steve was by this man's perception on Hawaii, he couldn't help but find great amusement in it as well. He appreciated the darkness making him invisible to Danny's eyes, for Steve wasn't sure what the blonde would do if he saw him grinning at his words.

"Uh-huh, uh-huh, go on," Steve egged on.

There a moment of silence.

"I know you're just humoring me."

"Nooo," Steve said, sarcasm dripping from the exaggerated syllable.

"But it's true. Hawaii is insane."

"And that is why you like to argue."

There was another moment of silence, but this one held less tension than the previous one.

"I like a good challenge," Danny said, his tone revealing that he was surprised by his own confession.

"And Hawaii's your biggest challenge." Steve deducted.

"…I guess so."

Steve smiled. It was a relief to know that the owner of his temporary living arrangements didn't hate him as much as he had originally led on. There was also a sense of victory in understanding Danny's psychological state, if only slightly. Danny came off as strange as he did ferocious, and having been able to see pass the façade, if only briefly, gave Steve some valuable insight on his gracious host. He never respected the man more than he did at that moment.

"Do you think you have a son?"

Shock zapped through Steve's veins.

"What?"

"Who else would you call 'champ?' If it's not a dog, maybe it's your kid."

A heavy weight sank into his stomach. For a few seconds, Steve couldn't breathe. What if he did have a son? Where was he? How could—who was the mother? Through the panic and uncertainty, it took Steve a long few moments to fully think out the possibility.

"I don't think so," Steve eventually concluded, his voice slow and weighted, "No…Mary would have said something, or…No, it just…doesn't sound right."

"Okay," Danny said casually, as if he hadn't nearly given Steve a heart attack.

Then something clicked.

"My father," Steve blurted, his wide eyes searching through the darkness, "I think my father was calling me that."

"Well that's something. Maybe you weren't having a dream. Maybe it was a memory."

It was amazing how uncomfortable Danny could make him feel twice with a ten minute period. Steve felt an aching fear in his chest behind the pounding of his scars.

"I really hope not, Danny. I really hope not."


	10. Chapter 10

The alarm clock's shrieks woke Steve from his dreamless sleep. He blinked at the clock for a curious moment. Once the memories of the events of the past week returned to his tired mind, he cautiously lifted himself at a higher angle so he could peer at Danny, who, as Chin had told him, no longer had a job. Why did he have his alarm on then?

"This would be an appropriate time to hit the snooze button," Danny muttered, his voice weakened by sleep.

Steve glanced over at the clock and hit the snooze button, as advised. Then he returned his focus on a disheveled Danny. The blonde was lying on the flattened comforter like a damaged doll, but, while the position he was in looked painful, it also appeared that Danny was too exhausted to actually feel the pain. His hair was limp and his face was far too ashen for someone who lived in Hawaii. Steve actually pitied the man, if only for a few seconds.

"Why do you even have the alarm on? You were fired," Steve said, his voice conveying more annoyance than he actually felt.

"You're tactless, you know that?"

"I'm beginning to see that," Steve said, leaning back against the head board as he rubbed the tiredness from his face, "You didn't answer my question."

"Shhhh."

Steve bristled, dropping his hands from his face.

"Did you just 'shush' me?"

He watched as Danny, eyes still closed, flipped his body over so that his back was now to Steve. Steve simply rolled eyes, acknowledging his defeat only to himself as he laid himself back down on the bed.

Chin leaned against the kitchen counter, much like he did the night before. He listened to the cheap coffee being brewed next to him, the scent of the hot beverage heavy in the stale air. The coffee machine sputtered and spat for a few loud seconds, as if it were choking down the poorly flavored liquid, before it returned to making its gentle sounds. Chin relaxed with the familiarity that visited his senses. His shoulders and spine were tense from lack of rest, but, mentally, he felt prepared for all that the long day would bring him. The quiet squeak of Danny's door being cautiously opened announced to Chin that this long day was about to begin.

"Danny," Chin said, walking out of the kitchen to get a better look at his ex-partner.

Danny glared at him, though his clear exhaustion had debilitated the fire behind it extensively. He hovered in front of his bedroom door for a moment, his left hand bent behind his back, gripping the door knob. His other hand was cupping a set of clothes to his chest.

"What?" Danny said as he softly closed his bedroom door.

"I'm sorry."

Danny rolled his eyes and shook his head, letting out a resentful huff of air.

"Danny, I—"

"—am sorry. I know, you already said that. Look, Chin," Danny said, rubbing his nose absentmindedly, "I know you have this habit of playing hero, even when it is extremely idiotic to do so, and it is killing you that you can't do that as much as you used to. I get it. I really do. Just…just talk to me before you involve me in these heroics."

"Yeah," Chin said immediately. Relief and appreciation formed a smile on his lips, but experience warned him to reign in on those emotions. Danny deserved nothing less, "Of course. I'm going to make it up to you. I promise. I'm going to find a way to fix this."

It killed him, but the lack of faith evident in Danny's face was understandable.

"Start with finding a job," Danny said after a hesitant moment, his harsh eyes contradicting the soft tone. Obviously not wanting to discuss it any further, the blonde entered the bathroom and concluded with the statement, "This place isn't paying for itself."

Realization hit Chin just as Danny closed the bathroom door.

"You got a job?" he asked loudly, not needing a response to know the answer, "Where?"

The sound of water speeding out of the shower head was Danny's only reply.

"That definitely explains a lot."

Chin turned at his cousin's voice. She laid rather uncomfortably on the sofa, head tilted awkwardly as she examined Chin with drowsy eyes.

"We can go job-hunting later today," Kono offered, her voice representing her muddled thoughts. She turned from him then, pulling the covers over her shoulders in a way that signaled her exit from the conversation, "I know some places…."

Chin looked away from his slumbering cousin.

It was necessary for their survival, it always had been, but the mere thought of getting another job made his chest ache with defeat. It was a familiar ache, one that plagued him ever since he first lost his job. Back then, he was all but ready to accept his downfall and throw in the towel. Internal Affairs had shell-shocked him with their constant attacks, and his protests were so repetitive they grew pointless. It had been Danny, not yet terminated, who initiated a protest against Chin letting go of who he was as a detective.

_"We're going to fix this, Chin. I promise. They can't chase you away so easily. You're one of the best cops on this evil island—second to me, of course. We just need to focus on being cops—__**good **__cops—and nothing else, and we'll beat this."_

Danny probably didn't realize just how much those few sentences impacted his ex-partner's perception on his own life. Over time, it became an ultimatum for Chin. Be a cop, or be nothing. It had made Danny's declaration more solid and strengthened Chin's hope. Accepting another job, betraying that unspoken oath—

_Is essential_, Chin told himself, _We all need this. I'm done letting the past get the better of me._

Steve stared at the building before him, disappointed when there was no immediate sense of recognition. He turned to his sister—another aspect of his life he didn't recognize—and saw the worry swirl in her tired eyes.

"Not coming back to you?" Kono said, cringing sympathetically for him.

Steve shook his head, putting on a smile in an attempt to cheer up the saddened atmosphere.

"Don't worry. It'll come to you eventually," Chin assured, leaning against his cars and fingering his keys with anticipation, "You sure you two will be okay for the hour? I can stay if you want."

"We'll be okay," Mary said, failing miserably to hide the nervousness in her tone, "Thank you so much though."

Chin smiled.

"Anytime."

There was a tense moment of hesitation, no one wanting to be the first to move. The Hawaiian sun warmed them comfortably and, if it weren't so awkward to do so, they probably would have felt content to remain motionless and absorb the sun's gentle rays. However, under the soothing weather was expectation of action, and Kono was the first to fulfill it.

"Alright, cuz," she said, nodding her goodbye to the McGarretts as she walked to the passenger's side of the car, "Let's go get some jobs."

Chin seemed less than thrilled about the prospect, but resigned to it anyway with a humble smile. He waved goodbye to Steve and Mary before getting into his car and peeling out of the high school parking lot. It was only when the car was no longer visible did Steve avert his gaze towards his little sister. Upon the feeling of being observed, Mary turned to look at him. It almost felt like a face-off with both of the participants cowering under the other's stare.

"Okay," Steve said, eyebrows raised with good-natured frustration, "So…we went to school here?"

"_You_ did," Mary corrected quietly, turning to stare at the school's entrance, "I didn't."

"Why?" Steve asked, curious.

That one word seemed to freeze Mary in time, and Steve could sense the pain that emitted off his sister. He almost regretted asking, but the desire to know and understand who he was overrode any guilt he might have felt. Eventually, Mary was reanimated, and she sighed out some pent-up emotion before turning to face her brother once again.

"We moved."

She began to walk around the school, missing Steve's look of confusion. He quickly followed her until they were side by side, walking abnormally fast. She wouldn't look at him for some reason, and it was unnerving. Steve tried to let the quiet setting calm him, glancing about the parking lot and the few parked cars that resided in it, but apprehension grew in his tensed shoulders. Though Mary had rarely left his side and often asked him if he was alright, she never really started a significant conversation with him. Steve had shared his childhood with this woman, and she was acting like stranger to him.

"Are you adopted?"

That got her attention. Her pace slowed considerably as she turned to regard him.

"No. Why would you ask that?"

Steve shrugged.

"You're just…acting like it."

"…I'm acting like I'm adopted?" she worded skeptically.

"You're acting like you're not related to me."

Mary sighed again, stopping completely. Steve stopped as well and looked at her expectantly.

"You always were the more assertive one."

He snorted, letting her know the obviousness of her statement. She ran a hand through her hair, scratching her scalp as an afterthought.

"Look…the truth is…we haven't spoken in a long time, and it is my fault."

Despite being unfamiliar with Mary, he couldn't help but feel a little hurt by her confession.

"Why?" he asked.

Yet again, that word had a negative effect on Mary. As she looked into his eyes, Steve could see the guilt and an odd sense of fear settle on her hardened face.

"I…I haven't dealt with some issues that I have. And, instead of dealing with them, I hid from them, which is the exact opposite of what you do," she sighed. The way she worded her explanation, and the tone haunting her voice, made something suppressed within Steve snap. He felt shocked by the increasing panic, confused by it and its origin. He tried to breathe through it and regain some control, but all that did was scare Mary into talking faster, "I don't know why. I guess…it was just easier not to talk to you than it was to…. I'm sorry."

He wished he could remember his life so he could say the right thing to her, but his mind wouldn't allow it. It was terrifying how trapped he was within the stricter boundaries of his brain. He almost felt like a lost soul occupying someone else's body. His breath stuttered at that thought, wasting the air his lungs required. Steve hurried on forward in search of escape, Mary right on his heels.

"Hey, I said I'm sorry," she repeated helplessly, her tone flailing for something solid to latch on to.

"I believe you," Steve said, staring intently at the building's clay-like wall as he continued to speed forward.

"Then why are you running from me?"

Guilt halted Steve's movements, which allowed a wave of emotion to catch up with him. It crashed down on him in one swift movement, leaving tears on the rims of his eyelids. He intended to look at Mary, but found himself looking anywhere but her.

"I'm not…I'm not _running_ from you," he said, still not looking at her—still on the verge of tears. His breathing increased in speed and his heart followed suit, warning him that hysteria was nearing. Steve kept glancing about, hoping to find something to anchor him to sanity, "I'm just…I'm…I don't know what I'm doing!"

Mary jumped at his outburst, which caused him to jump reflexively.

"I'm sorry," Steve said, taking a moment to check up on the young woman, "but I don't know you. I don't know anybody. I'm not Steve, the navy SEAL that deals with problems. I'm…I don't know who I am, but I'm not _him_! He has something—a life, a personality, a family, friends—I have _nothing_. I am _nothing_. I'm just waiting around, hoping to remember _anything _from the real Steve's life—hoping I can put the pieces together and start being him again…but I can't. I can't! I'm stuck as this empty shell of a human being and I haven't… I haven't even let myself acknowledge that until right this very second."

Steve wasn't looking at Mary anymore, too focused on trying to keep tears from fleeing his eyes. He leant against the building, overwhelmed by a sinking depression and a growing terror. A sob sheltered itself in his throat. It felt like he was mourning his own death—or, perhaps, the death of the _real_ Steve McGarrett.

"I really am nothing," he whispered, agony rippling through him at the devastating truth.

He hadn't heard Mary approach him, and startled when she touched his shoulder.

"You are _not_ nothing," she told him strongly, despite the watery tone weighting her words.

Steve broke then. Tears poured from his eyes and he let out a choked sob. He covered his eyes, wanting to ignore her existence, yet needing it there all the same. After that point, he stopped thinking. He just felt all the pain he had been too afraid to feel at the beginning and let it empty from him in strained cries. Mary never removed her hand, and in fact tightened her grip on his shoulder. Steve noticed, through the tears and the suffocating pain, that her hand remained on his shoulder even as he slid to the ground.

It was about three minutes later when he grew silent, sniffing and gasping every few moments to regulate his compromised breathing. His fear and pain seemed to blossom from the end of his break, but he no longer had the energy to deal with them further. Refusing to look at Mary, Steve stared at the ground, wishing to fall asleep.

That's when Mary's phone rang. She ignored it at first, letting it go to voicemail, but when it rung again, even Steve looked up to stare at the phone curiously. Steve watched as Mary, apologetically, answered the phone.

"Hello? …Yes, this is she…Yeah, I remember. What do you want? …No, he's not ready for that. He can't help you right now…Really? You've got a funny way of showing it…And I told you he can't right now, he's hurt…why don't you do your job then and figure it out."

She hung up then, an angry huff exiting her lips. Steve waited patiently, almost numbly, almost carelessly, for her to explain. He didn't feel like anything anymore.

"That was one of the police officers that talked to you the other day." Mary explained, "They want to talk to you some more so that they can officially report your injuries as accidental."

"Why do they need to talk to me to do that?"

Steve's voice felt so hollow, it was scaring him just to speak. He glanced away.

"They don't. They're just being paranoid, and pushy, and rude, and—and…."

Steve nodded, trying to ignore the persistent cry within him that something was amiss.


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you guys for your reviews. I really appreciate comments like the one francis2 gave for chapter 10 about why the police would consider Steve's case an accident. Comments like that help me re-think how I'm going to do the story and what needs to be addressed. Also, I forget who exactly made these comments, but a while back quite a few you made some comments about how Chin and Kono were using Danny-.-mooching off of him, if you will. Thank you for those comments too, you guys who gave them, because it did really make me re-evaluate the characters' situations and what I wanted to accomplish from it and where I wanted to go with it. :) You all are awesome. And, because I don't want to leave anyone out, thank you guys who gave me all the compliment-reviews, which do not necessarily exclude from the reviewers I have mentioned thus far. Compliments are always wonderful to recieve.**

**Now, this chapter is a bit on the shorter side, and, in my opinion, it kind of rambled a bit; meaning, I wasn't sure where to go with this chapter, so I went just about anywhere. I apologize for that. I'd say I'm on the verge of writer's block, along with some lack of motivation. :P I do love where the show is going with its new season; it's my own story that I have to get myself re-interested in. :P Go figure.**

**Again, thanks for the reviews, as well as the story-alerts, story-favorited, etc. Crticisms welcomed.**

It was the wrong time of day to enter the bar. Barely dusk, the distinct features of the few customers drinking in the establishment were visible to one another. Hess, having a well-known face in the Hawaiian region, felt uncomfortable being seen. Regardless, he continued on to the bar counter, staring the bartender straight in the eye as he ordered a scotch. He would not let hunters make a prey out of him. He barely touched the glass of the beverage handed to him when he felt a looming presence at his side.

"What was so important that we had to discuss it in person, at this hour?"

Hess noted the threatening tone behind the curious words, but didn't let his face show his emotional reaction to it. Instead, he took a casual sip of scotch before turning to his stronger counterpart.

"I tailed McGarrett today." Hess said.

"You were supposed to. Please tell me you didn't call me just—"

"Would you just shut up and let me finish?" Hess snapped, taking an angry gulp of his scotch.

He felt more than saw Nick Taylor increase in height and girth as he invaded his personal space. The tense silence was meant to warn Hess to tread softly, but Hess could only find humor in it. Taylor liked to compare himself to McGarrett, but they were significantly more different than alike. For one, Hess felt no fear towards Taylor.

"I saw him sob today. _Sob_," Hess continued. The surprise Taylor tried to conceal stilled his hostile gaze, "He really can't remember anything."

As if that sentence explained everything, Hess stopped.

"What are you suggesting?"

"I'm suggesting we let him live."

"_What?_"

Hess took another sip of his scotch before he set it back down on the counter.

"If we try to kill him now, the cops will be over it."

"So? They'll never suspect me, and they already know about your…unconventional lifestyle. What are you so scared of?"

"I'm not _scared_. McGarrett isn't a loose end anymore. Why waste our time with him?"

"…Fine," Taylor laughed, sadistic humor in his gruff voice, "…but you have to suggest it to Wo Fat."

Hess nodded, finishing up his scotch in one large gulp.

*.*.*.*

Danny, as he did the previous night, snuck into his dark apartment quietly. He now knew that it was Kono sleeping on the couch, and Chin was sleeping on the floor…somewhere. Danny walked cautiously, using his foot as a blind would use a cane to make his way across the living room. Just before he entered his bedroom, he noticed there was light reaching out towards his shoes from beneath his door. Danny made himself as small as possible, squeezing himself into the lighter room before he shut his door.

Steve was sitting on his bed. The injured man turned to regard his presence, but then returned his focus at the wall before him. Danny cocked an eyebrow at him, but was too tired to give it much thought. Making sure his comforter and pillow were in the same place they were the night before, Danny flicked the switch off and then stumbled over to his sleeping arrangements.

"Night," the blonde muttered, settling his head into his soft pillow.

"Night." Steve said.

If Steve hadn't uttered the word in such a miserable tone, Danny would have ignored his instinct to say something and fallen into an uncomfortable, yet still deep, sleep. Groaning with frustration, he reluctantly asked Steve what the problem was. Hesitantly, Steve answered.

"I guess I'm finally realizing how…real this is."

"What do you mean?" Danny asked, his eyes closed and his mind drifting.

Steve sighed.

"I don't really know. I guess I just thought I would remember everything."

"You will."

"…What if I don't?"

The agony that thickened his voice had Danny open his eyes uselessly. It was pitch black and he could not see Steve, but he found himself turning in the other man's direction anyway.

"What if…what if I never get better?"

Danny swallowed. There were never any _right_ words to say in a situation such as this, but Danny wished he had him. More than that, he wished Chin had them so that he could deal with this rather sad occurrence. He just wanted to fall asleep, not feel an odd sense of empathy for a broken man.

"Well," Danny eventually said because, frankly, he had to say something. Something was better than pained, empty silence, "For one, you can't live in 'what if's. Trust me, it'll make you insane. Well, more insane, in your case."

Danny felt his eyelids close yet again. Unconsciousness was overwhelming his senses, and it was growing harder to comprehend his surroundings.

"And you need to have a goal towards success, not towards failure. Expect good things, and you will never fall off course."

He heard Steve sniff.

"When…when did you stop expecting good things?"

Danny opened his eyes again. He wasn't sure why he felt so surprised by the question. He had asked himself that a few times before. Maybe it was because someone else was recognizing an aspect of his perception that he had a difficult time grasping. Maybe…maybe it was because he hated how readable he was to a stranger—well, an acquaintance. Regardless, he felt no violation of any kind, just a weighted sadness.

"When I lost custody of my daughter."

It had been a long time since he had verbally acknowledged that day—that awful day. The pang in his chest, however, wasn't as heavy as he expected it to be.

"What happened?"

"It was…about five months after I got fired. All of my so called friends—some of who used to be willing to risk their lives for me—were ignoring me, blowing me off—shunning me, basically. The only two people I had left were Chin and my daughter, Grace. Chin was so depressed I couldn't tell him how bad I had it. He already knew on some level anyway, but admitting to it…it wasn't what any of us needed. I definitely couldn't talk to Grace about any of it. So I just…bottled it up…until one day I got into a fight with Officer Lawson on his shift…he was saying all these bad things about Chin and that I was better off without him and I…lost it. I was only in jail a few nights because the police chief pitied me, but Rach—my ex-wife was…angry, understandably. I lost custody in an ugly court battle. At that moment, I stopped expecting good things…but…I've been expecting them again."

Another sniff.

"Really? Why?"

"Well, Mr. Doom-and-Gloom, I find it is far more rewarding living in the sunshine than in the shadows of pessimism."

There was a moment of silence, one Danny thought Steve was using to ponder over his profound statement. However, when Steve began laughing, Danny thought differently.

"And what, pray tell, is so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing," Steve choked out between laughter and sniffs, "You've just…that's the cheesiest thing I've ever heard—not to mention a big fat lie."

Danny snorted.

"There's no pleasing you," he said, hoping Steve's laughter indicated his happiness.

Then he can finally get some sleep.

"No, seriously," Steve said, making Danny sigh with frustration, "Why?"

"…Fine," the blonde grumbled, not in any mood to figh—to _argue_, "When Kono came to live with me and Chin…well, she took care of me. Not directly, so to speak, but she cleaned up the apartment, she talked to me about things I didn't want to talk about—that kind of thing. It had been a long time since someone helped me out. Turns out, that's all I really needed. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have my job back, and I don't blame Chin for not being able to handle my burdens when he had so many, but…I don't know. I guess one person makes all the difference.

And if you tell Kono I told you any of this, your amnesia will become the least of your worries. Clear?"

"Crystal," Steve said softly.

There was another moment of silence, one Danny was finally losing consciousness, when a random thought crossed his mind.

"Oh, and before I forget, did Chin get a job?"

"…No, not yet, but he said he'd keep looking tomorrow."

Danny frowned.

*.*.*.*

The serene look on Wo Fat's face didn't reach his piercing gaze. While he always wore an emotionless mask, his eyes always contained a judgment needed to be carried out. Hess ignored the relaxed smile and stared straight into his superior's eyes, reading his own verdict. He gulped at what he saw.

The next few minutes were blurred together as punches and kicks assaulted his body. By the time his beating was done, his face was swollen and his entire body was trembling. He coughed up some blood, taking his time to wipe it off the floor.

"What if he _does_ remember?" Wo Fat inquired, his tone suggesting they were merely having a simple debate, "Then what?"

Hess didn't dare answer.

"Kill him." Wo Fat commanded, "And his sister. She knows more than I originally thought…. Go. NOW."

*.*.*.*

"What do you mean they're ruling it an accident?" Chin asked, more aggressively than he probably meant to.

Mary shrugged, looking helpless under the question's weight. She held a cup of coffee in her hand, but the liquid had yet to meet with her lips. Kono, who had made them all coffee and was sipping her own, took no offense by Mary's lack of interest in the beverage. The poor woman looked rather pale and nauseated, rubbing her forehead with strained anguish every so often. Kono was more than willing to forgive her for not wanting to drink the coffee.

"I-I don't know. They said someone saw Steve boating that morning. They think he must have fallen off and landed on the propeller or something."

"A Navy SEAL losing balance on a boat _he's_ driving," Chin argued, his own coffee barely touched. Again, Kono felt no offense, seeing Chin so distracted with his thought-process, "I don't think so. Did they say who the witness was?"

"Um…some woman that lives by the docks…I…I think her name is _something_ Reagan. Meghan? Lagan? I don't remember."

"Call them back." Chin instructed.

Mary stumbled off to the patio to do that. Kono, seeing no sympathy in Chin's analytical eyes, cocked an eyebrow at him.

"What's with the intensity, cuz?" Kono asked.

Chin shook his head.

"I thought they would catch the guy by now. Danny and I would have had him within a week."

"Or _her_." Kono added.

"Or _her_. Either the police department isn't as dependable as I thought they were," Kono snorted at that, a resentful smile on her lips, "or this attack is bigger than I suspected."

"Bigger?"

"It originally looked like a mugging gone wrong, to me. I remember Jack McGarrett liked to hike a lot around here, and assumed Steve enjoyed the same. It's easy to surround someone up there with the dense forest and the sharp cliff sides hanging over the water. But it isn't this hard to find a few muggers."

"Plus, Steve took Danny out in a matter of seconds," Kono said, practically gleeful when Chin looked at her with wistful pride, "He could probably take out a couple of muggers within a minute, tops."

A _thump_ outside the apartment stopped all thought. Chin hurried over the front door, demanding with a swift wave of his arm for Kono to stay back. She, of course, did not listen to the silent demand, but remained wary with her curiosity as she followed her cousin. Chin didn't say anything upon opening the door, but his bristled shoulders warned Kono something bad had occurred. He knelt down, allowing Kono to see what exactly he was attending to. She gasped when she saw Mary, flat on the splintery ground, her body and eyes motionless.


	12. Chapter 12

**Well, I'm sad to say that this chapter is actually shorter than the previous chapter, which was pretty short. And, this chapter only takes place in one location. It's all in Danny's POV though, so that's pretty awesome! ;) I'm sorry to say that I am having a little difficulty with this story now (as my recent chapters would indicate), so I'm actually going to break my deadline-goal and give myself two weeks to write the next chapter. So Chapter 13 will be posted two weeks from today, not one week. :P Again, sorry about that, but I feel I need a little more time to: a) take a break from the story, and b)work on the story and do some research for it. Any advice you guys have for me, or any suggestions you have for the story, I'd like to hear them. :)**

**Thank you guys for the reviews, story-alerts, story-favoritings, etc. You guys rock.**

"I didn't know what was going on until I heard the sirens. And even then, I didn't know something happened to one of…to Mary. I got out of the bathroom, saw Kono talk hysterically into the phone, then saw Chin performing CPR on Mary. Steve was just standing in the background, going into multiple stages of shock. Then the paramedics showed up, we followed them to the hospital, and then you guys showed. So, in conclusion—for the last time, I hope—I don't know anything. Could you, maybe—just _maybe_—stop wasting your time with me and go do your job?"

"Mr. Williams—"

"Whoa, _whoa_. What? _Mr. Williams_? Don, seriously?"

Detective Don Banachek stiffened. His face, weighted with experience, was stoic, but his eyes seemed to have twitched into an emotional expression. Which emotion, Danny wasn't sure. He thought he saw some remnants of guilt, but Don appeared to be more insulted by Danny than Danny was by him.

"I need to be detached in order to do my job," Don said, frustration emphasizing each word, "which I am doing right now, despite what you may think."

"_Please_," Danny scoffed, his shaking head meant to demean the detective before him, "We both know you aren't being 'detached' for the case. You're being 'detached' because you're still scared of Internal Affairs."

"Danny—"

"Oh, it's _Danny_ now? I thought I was _Mr. Williams_ to you."

The busy noises of the hospital muted Don's quiet sigh. As angry as Danny was with his former ally, he couldn't help but soften his glare and glance over the stale coloring of the walls to where Chin stood. His ex-partner was talking to a different detective and, while Chin could take care of himself, Danny worried for him all the same. They were both surrounded by the cops they had once considered friends; the cops that betrayed them and hung them out to dry. Plus, with the doctors, nurses, orderlies, and other hospital-personnel taking up precious hallway-space, the air in which Danny and Chin breathed felt thin and overused. Danny couldn't help Chin when they were both so overwhelmed by opposing forces; something the blonde had learned the hard way the year prior.

"Look," Don said, a sudden edge affecting his apathetic exterior. Danny glared at him once more, "you're in danger, Williams. You, Kelly, and his cousin, because of your association with this case."

"You didn't even think it was a case three hours ago."

"Based off your original lack of interest in McGarrett, you never thought it was a case."

Danny glowered. He didn't bother asking how Don could have possibly known that. Those Officers Wakata and Kaaua were more perceptive, and certainly more talkative, than most people realized.

"Regardless," Don continued, "Both the McGarretts are going under protective custody, which means you'll see a lot more of HPD than you're probably comfortable with. Get used to it, Williams, or stay out of our way."

Hearing Steve's name being spoken a distance away, Danny refrained himself from saying anything _inappropriate_ to Don and turned towards the voice. It was Kono, her hair disheveled and her face older than her actual age. She stood in front of Steve—who sat frozen in a cushioned chair placed against the wall—and wrapped a wool blanket around his shoulders. Danny felt his face and body relax as he watched. Kono lowered herself so that she was below Steve's eyelevel and placed a comforting hand on the man's knee. She was whispering something that was incomprehensible to Danny from where he stood, but it brought tears to Steve's eyes. The former detective felt a little relief at that, seeing as Steve hadn't shown any emotion for the past few hours.

Then, something clicked. So gentle, it hadn't fully touched Danny's consciousness, but he managed to notice it nevertheless.

"Bite me, Don," Danny said, but his words came out softer than his anger could withstand.

Walking towards Kono and Steve, ignoring Don's suspicious gaze, Danny knew he had been right in his skepticism towards Steve. Being charitable towards this man had lead them into danger. Sure, Mary had been the one harmed, but it could have easily been Kono or Chin on that porch. It had been a perilous risk taking in someone they didn't really know, despite Chin's past association with the man. They weren't detectives anymore. They couldn't legally and securely handle the weighted baggage Steve McGarrett had on him. And, yet, Danny found he regretted nothing. He didn't regret fighting for Chin's innocence, despite the fact it cost him his career and livelihood. While he couldn't be sure, Danny somehow knew that Kono didn't regret making the sacrifices she did for her cousin and a rather irritable blonde haole. And, even though this memory-lacking super SEAL had stolen his bed and tackled him to the ground, Danny didn't regret letting him take over his room and his friends' lives. If he hadn't—if Chin and Kono had left the McGarretts to fend for themselves, then both Mary and Steve would probably be dead by now with the police none the wiser.

And Danny was more than thankful that it didn't come to that.

"Did you find anything out?" Danny asked Kono quietly, hoping she could see past the vagueness of his question.

He wanted to know how Mary was.

Kono shook her head.

"No, nothing yet."

Danny took a seat next to Steve. Neither of them would look at the other, as if there was some invisible pressure that kept their heads from turning. Kono remained crouched where she was as she continued to rub Steve's knee, an act that was oddly comforting to Danny, though he was not the recipient of the action.

It was several minutes later, though to Danny it felt like an hour, when Chin joined them.

"Heard you gave Don a hard time," Chin stated, taking a seat on the other side of Steve.

"He had it coming." Danny said.

"I don't doubt it."

Danny noticed Steve visibly swallowed then and finally turned to regard him. Steve, hesitantly, looked back at him. His eyes were glassy, sparkling under the florescent lights that buzzed above their heads. Time seemed to slow, and under the pained gaze of a lost soul, Danny couldn't help but swallow as well.

"My parents are dead." Steve said.

Of all the things he expected Steve to say, Danny had not expected that. The grief behind the words shocked him cold. Chin, however, seemed more shaken by the actual sentence.

"You remember?" Chin asked.

Steve closed his eyes.

"No," he said. His breath was shuttering, as if his lungs were being crushed by an agonizing weight. He kept his eyes closed, and Danny could see that the man was trying so hard to escape reality, "You…Mary…always used passed tense."

Kono tightened her grip on Steve's knee. Danny, as politely as he could, glanced over Steve to observe Chin. The horror and guilt were evident on the older man's face, despite the fact that his muscles seemed solid with apathy.

"And now Mary…there's no one left."

"Hey," Danny snapped gently, leaning forward so that he could face Steve properly. The sympathetic pain squeezing his chest was becoming unbearable. He had to fix this—had to say something. Chin was losing himself to his own shame yet again and Steve was dying almost as much as Mary possibly was. Danny had to make these awful things end, "Listen to me. You are not alone here, Steve. We're all here for you. Always. You got that? We're all family here."

Kono squeezed Steve's knee again to affirm what he had said, but Danny was beginning to feel like he needed the affirmation as much as Steve did. He just blurted out the word "family" in an emotional moment. He wasn't completely sure if he had meant it.

Steve snapped his attention at him, looking as stunned as Danny felt by his own wording. Tears were close to overflowing in his eyes as he searched deep into Danny's.

"You'll be okay. You've got us," Danny continued, lighting his voice in hopes to ease Steve's struggles. He would have to deal with the consequences of his words later. Right now, Steve needed him, "I mean, think about it. Kono broke into a hospital for you," he pointed out, dramatically motioning his hand towards a sheepish Kono, "Chin gave you my bedroom and drove you places, _free_ of charge. That, my friend, is the financial way of loving someone. And…well, I let you steal my bed…and I also _let you_ tackle me to the floor…you know, because you were hurt and all."

Steve smiled. It was a weak smile, trembling under the heaviness of doubt and uncertainty, but it was a start. Danny glanced over at Chin, who was smirking and shaking his head at him.

"What? I did. Please, I'm from New Jersey. Do you think I'd actually lose to a Hawaiian lug like this?"

"He is a navy SEAL, Danny," Chin said, his smirk growing strength.

Danny lifted his arms in mock surrender before letting them fall back on the arm rests.

"Well, there's that."

The joking tone of the moment began to fade along with Steve's smile. Danny placed a strong hand on the SEAL's shoulders before the atmosphere returned to its seriousness. Chin followed suit.

"We'll figure everything out." Kono promised.

"Thank you," Steve said, struggling to breathe under watered gasps.

Danny squeezed his shoulder and nodded, silently disconcerted by the fact that he had no more words to offer.


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you guys so much for your support, suggestions, and, most of all, patience. :) It was all very sweet and I really appreciate it. So much so, in fact, that I made this chapter particularly long (well, long for me. :)). A little extra time did me some good. I have a better sense of direction for this story now.**

**I do want to say that it was my original plan to have more Danny/Steve bromance scenes, however with Danny's stubborn bitterness and Chin having more of connection with Steve because he knew his dad...well, it got a little difficult. I will try to get more of those bromance scenes in this story tho. Again, thank you for your guys' suggestions. :) I'd say more regarding the suggestions, but I don't want to give too much of the story away.**

**Anyway, the usual, thank you guys for the reviews, story-favorites, story-alerts, etc. Critcisms welcomed. :)**

**Oh, and PS- I changed the end of Chapter 11 just a tiny bit. It's virtually the same, only I made Mary's symptons a little more obvious. You don't need to go back and read it, I just thought I'd let you know.**

They all stood as Dr. Yeman approached them. Chin took a dominant few steps forward, unintentionally giving Steve a makeshift pathway to the front of the group. Chin noticed the frantic SEAL in the corner of his eye, but remained focused on the doctor before him with tensed shoulders. He was prepared for tragedy, and he was prepared to accept his unforgivable blame associated with it.

"She is alive," was the first thing Dr. Yeman said. His eyes appeared to be wider than usual and his straight posture suggested he was a man of military discipline, not a man wearied by his occupation. Chin mirrored these qualities of the doctor, though, upon hearing of Mary's survival, he felt his frame loosen in stress—his own way of joining in with the others' giddy sighs of relief. However, they weren't out of the woods yet. Chin could see it in Yeman's foreboding gaze, "but I'm sorry to say she's far from recovered. We found a lethal amount of arsenic in her system."

"Arsenic?" Chin repeated.

"Yes. We pumped out what we can—it was going through her digestive system—but I'm afraid it has reduced her to a comatose state. We're keeping a close eye on her, trying to bring her vitals up, but it's going to be touch and go for a while."

"You're saying she might not make it?" Kono asked, her voice so gentle it almost sounded like a whisper.

Dr. Yeman nodded, though his silence was answer enough.

"Can we see her?" Chin asked.

Dr. Yeman nodded again, turning to lead them to her room. Chin was startled by Steve's sudden burst of energy as he rushed passed him to pursue the doctor, but his step didn't falter in anyway as he continued forward. He was tempted to grab Steve's shoulder and anchor him back, if only to slow the SEAL's racing heart rate. However, Chin managed to restrain himself, too distracted with his own thoughts and emotions on the matter.

Arsenic? When did she have the chance to consume arsenic? Was it still in Danny's apartment? Was it at the high school?

His thoughts seemed to stutter for a moment as he entered Mary's hospital room. Steve, so large in frame, had abruptly halted in the doorway, but Chin managed to slide his way around the navy SEAL to get a better look at the comatose woman.

Mary, her hair darkened by sweat and grime, looked dead. Her face seemed as emptied of blood as it did a soul. The heart monitor beeping next to her begged to differ, but its protests were merely background noises and Chin's ears could barely hear them. The stiffness of her face allowed Chin to see that Mary had already developed wrinkles in her young age, and he couldn't help but pity her. Not that the issue of wrinkles really mattered any longer, given that death was nearly ready to trivialize such a conflict as age.

Feeling Kono gently push him forward broke Chin from his observations. Stepping out of his cousin's way, Chin's eyes landed on Steve.

"The call button is right there by the bedrail if you need anything," Dr. Yeman said, motioning towards the wire snuggling to the inside of the railing.

Then, without another word, Dr. Yeman walked out of the room.

Steve's face, so stony and sad—and _lost_—didn't so much as twitch at Dr. Yeman's words, nor at his departure.

Kono was the first to approach the bed, going as far as to touch the white skin of Mary's arm. Chin ripped his gaze from Steve and back to Mary, forcing his feet to move forward.

Chin could only remember ever seeing the McGarrett children once before his partnership with their father ended. Jack had been a kind-hearted mentor, but he kept his personal life behind steel doors. The man wasn't shy about discussing his feelings about a case or the doubt he sometimes had in himself, but he always managed to steer clear of talking about his family and what occurred at home. Chin never knew why he was so secretive regarding that aspect of his life, and he never asked. As curious as he was, he let Jack take most of his secrets to the grave.

When Jack invited him for dinner one night, Chin didn't even expect to meet his family. Honestly, at that point, he assumed Jack didn't have one. When a beautiful blonde woman answered the door, an apron loose around her waist and her shiny lips curved into a welcoming smile, Chin was sure he had the wrong house. The woman, Sandy McGarrett, assured him he was at the right place and laughed at his dumbfounded expression. Skeptically, he entered the house, shocked to find Jack wrestling with some scrawny kid on the floor while the voice of a young, teenaged girl chatting away on the phone echoed through the hallway. Sandy's sweet voice commanding that there be peace in the house silenced everyone. And that was when Chin was introduced to Steve, his hair ruffled and face red from his wrestling match with his father. Mary was quick to make an appearance herself, grinning and telling Chin about this boy she liked before Chin could even properly introduce himself.

The entire experience had been as charming as it had been surprising. Jack as a family man was an odd image, but not a bad one. At the end of the night, while Steve watched some cartoon and Mary went back to talking on the phone, Jack was walking Chin to the door. They both stood outside on the porch for a few moments, exchanging a prolonged farewell with a couple of tangents popping up in their sentences here and there. Finally, despite Chin's tradition of not asking Jack personal questions, he couldn't help but give in to his curiosity that night.

_"Why tonight, Jack?"_

_Jack gave him a questioning look._

_"What?"_

_"We've been partners for over a year now. Why tonight, of all nights, did you decide to introduce me to your family?"_

_The humid night air hung about them as carelessly as the dimming porch light was. Still, there was a heaviness in the atmosphere, seeming to age Jack a decade before Chin's eyes. Before Chin could clarify that he enjoyed the evening with his family, Jack shifted his weight to his heels, making the young wood beneath his feet creak. He leant back against the porch railing, studying Chin with a stoic expression._

_"You know," Jack said, the weak porch light making his dark hair appear grayer, "I often forget how young you are, Chin. You don't act it. Not enough."_

_"I'm not that young," Chin argued, but his tone confessed how confused he was by Jack's behavior._

_Jack smiled._

_"You don't think so now, but trust me, you're 'that' young."_

_"Jack."_

_Jack sighed, the formal stiffness of his body weakening into something more human. Glancing away, he grabbed his hair and held on to it a moment too long. When he uncurled his fingers and dropped his hand to his side, he looked at Chin with eyes gleaming with exhaustion._

_"I'm getting promoted to detective."_

_It took a moment for Chin to smile. And it took another moment for that smile to feel sincere. Jack was long overdue for a promotion. As far as Chin was concerned, he was the best cop he had ever been associated with. He should have been promoted years ago, but, as Chin understood it, Jack hadn't wanted it then. Why he suddenly wanted it now, Chin wasn't going to ask. Becoming a detective, his own personal dream, was an honor and deserved to be respected as such._

_"Congratulations, Jack. That's wonderful."_

_Jack grumbled his agreement, not quite meeting Chin's eyes._

_"When do you start?"_

_The question hurt Chin more than he expected it to. He was always aware that the two would part ways at some point in their lives, but he hadn't expected it to be quite so soon. He grew to rely on Jack for a sense of stability in this dangerous new occupation of his. Jack never seemed to budge under pressure, nor under hardship. He told Chin otherwise on a number of occasions, but Chin could never fully believe it. The man was practically made of steel. He was always there, either pushing Chin or catching him; whichever the situation demanded he do. He was Chin's teacher. He was Chin's best friend. And now he was leaving. Perhaps not geographically, but the disconnection Chin could already feel resonating within his being told him that, while he had forever gained an ally, he was now losing a brother._

_"A couple weeks." Jack said._

_Chin nodded, not knowing what else he could. He still wasn't quite sure what any of this had to with meeting Jack's family, other than it possibly being Jack's backwards way of saying goodbye._

_"Listen, Chin," Jack said after a thoughtful intake of breath. He was staring at the ground, his brow creased with silent contemplation, "I want you to know…you…I trust you with my family's lives."_

_Chin felt his blood go cold. He wasn't sure how to respond to that. He was deeply honored, but he couldn't help but feel suspicious. Was Jack implying something? His tone alone was tense enough to worry Chin, but the words, almost feeling like a premonition, were already stirring a premature feeling of fear._

_"Jack—"_

_"I'm not leaving because of you," Jack interrupted, snapping his eyes up and hardening his focus on Chin, "In fact, it's partially because of you why this is so hard. But…this detective job is too good of an opportunity to pass up."_

_"An opportunity for what?"_

_Jack's lips, seeming to be slowed in time, turned upward._

_"To make a difference. I love being a cop, Chin, but it feels too limited for me now."_

_Chin was still confused, but he wasn't going to doubt Jack and his motives. It was easy to believe him—easy to believe that the vague statements were meant as explanations, not as masks for something deadly._

Chin felt tears well up in his eyes. Sandy had died several months after that day. Chin had, of course, gone to the funeral, offering Jack all the support he could possibly give him. Jack wouldn't talk to him though. In fact, most of the time, he didn't even acknowledge Chin's existence. Chin had been insistent though, for about a month at least, before Jack's new partner intervened and gently told him he would take care of Jack. The next day, Chin found out that Jack had sent his children away. He tried to talk to Jack again—tried to understand what was happening—but Jack simply turned around and walked away, leaving Chin behind to grieve for the spiritual death of his old mentor.

Looking at Mary now, seeing hints of her father around her motionless eyelids, Chin regretted not running after Jack; not pushing him harder for more information. Maybe he could have helped. Maybe he could have gotten him to bring his kids back. Maybe….

Chin made no swearing declaration to protect this family, but, somehow, he betrayed Jack all the same. Jack had said he trusted Chin with his family's lives, and now his daughter lay dying before him while his son stood wounded behind him. Jack himself had been killed by a burglar five years ago.

Chin closed his eyes, but forced them open again to memorize Mary's ashen face. He failed her. He failed Steve. He failed Jack. Sucking in a quiet, yet painful, breath into his lungs, he vowed to himself that, with or with no badge, he would not fail them again.

*.*.*.*

Hess's arms trembled as he gripped the steering wheel. His car was sunbathing in a parking spot, appearing relaxed and indifferent to the world. Hess tried to breath, but the stuffy air was almost tangible and it did not take well with his lungs. That and, well, he was scared, not that he would ever acknowledge such a thing; not even to himself.

A _BANG_ on the passenger's side had Hess jumping into a curled position against the car door.

"Hess."

Embarrassment sliding from his heart to his stomach, Hess turned to look out the passenger window.

As expected, Nick Taylor stood there, looking rather irritated.

Hess straightened himself, but the damage had been done. Taylor had just witnessed him recoil in _fear_. If Taylor had had any respect for him before, he certainly would not have it now. More than that though, Hess revealed that he was vulnerable, and Taylor wasn't below taking advantage of his weakened state. However, regardless of his recent mistake, Hess unlocked the car door and faced Taylor as if nothing had occurred.

"You messed up," Taylor said as he maneuvered himself into the passenger seat. Hess tried not to jump when his counterpart slammed the car door, "She could still make it. I guess you're 0 for 2."

"Which makes _you_ 0 for 2," Hess snapped defensively.

Taylor's face took a dangerous turn and Hess found himself desiring to look away.

"_Which_ reminds me, I was wondering why you went solo on _this_ McGarrett. The last I saw you, you were going to talk to Wo Fat about getting out of this."

Hess glared. Obviously, Taylor could see the black and purple that covered his swollen face, as well as the angry scars that ran down his cheek and neck.

"Guess that didn't work out," Taylor said, a sarcastic smirk tainting his lips, "What? He spooked you into making idiotic mistakes?"

"I didn't make—"

"She's _still alive_, Hess. That is a mistake."

Hess turned away, facing the hospital he had been watching for the pass two hours. He was still all too aware of Taylor's unwelcomed presence, distracting him from proper thought.

"What makes it idiotic," Taylor continued, making himself comfortable and dominant where he sat, "is the last minute use of arsenic. What? Did you have some extra at home from another murder? Thought you could just throw it in her mouth and hope she croaked."

Hess said nothing, further embarrassed when his breath came out shaky. By the way Taylor suddenly quieted, Hess figured he had heard the fear that compromised his breathing. As he contemplated how he should deny, or possibly defend, the action that took place, Taylor surprised him.

"You're really scared, aren't you?"

Hess was cautious as he slowly returned his gaze to Taylor. So far, he had made one too many mistakes—in front of Nick Taylor, no less—and couldn't help but feel apprehensive towards his own incompetent behavior. But when he saw the sincerity in Taylor's eyes and the surprise in his face, Hess wondered if he found a safe haven, if only for a moment. He took advantage of it.

"Yes. Happy?" he bit out, trying to appear as a contradiction to his confession.

Taylor wasn't buying it, but, then again, Hess wasn't selling it very well.

An ambulance, her sirens having been background noise before this point, swerved into the parking lot with panicked urgency. The sirens were now all too loud and all too clear with their agonizing screams, which resonated through Hess's tense body. The vehicle sped passed Hess's car and came to an abrupt, veering halt in front of the hospital. Nurses were already on the scene, almost robotic with their swift and decisive movements as they helped the paramedics move the victim. The victim, covered in a tan blanket worn from use, was bloody and…_broken_. Hess gulped. It took the nurses and paramedics too long to get that body away from his sights. It was not that he was sensitive to gory sights—he hadn't become _that_ incompetent—it was his own adjective that shook him. _Broken_. He, too, felt broken. And it was as humiliating as it was terrifying.

The silence that hung between them now was dreadful. Hess wasn't sure what Taylor would do or say, but found himself hoping that he would just leave without a word. He didn't need a condescending speech from Taylor. Frankly, he didn't need Taylor at all. Even with the redheaded SEAL's help, Steve McGarrett still managed to survive. He was as useful as Hess was at the moment.

"What if…" Taylor began, his face distorted into an unreadable expression.

"What if _what_?" Hess played along, his curiosity stronger than his contempt.

Taylor opened his mouth as if to finish the sentence, but then closed it again. Resignation hardened his gaze, as well as his tone.

"Nothing…. Look, we need to come up with a plan. A _smart_ plan, not one made out of fear."

Hess watched him, tempted to push Taylor on what he was about to say, but decided it'd be best to refrain from doing so. Nothing good would come of it, not in Hess's condition.

"I've called the SEALs in Japan with another 'update,' but Jeff is starting to get suspicious enough to question my ranking over him. That IRS scam of his isn't keeping him as intimidated as I need him to be. I say we have a week tops to get this finished before we have a real problem here."

Hess nodded, opening his mouth to ask the safest question he could possibly think of at that moment.

"What did you have in mind?"

*.*.*.*

Steve sat in silence. He knew Kono was sitting next to him, watching him, but he couldn't fully grasp the awareness to acknowledge her. The soft beeps of Mary's heart monitor went ignored. The only thing Steve was fully conscious of was the gut-wrenching pain that numbed his limbs and squeezed his heart. If he could react to his overwhelming emotions, he would, but he had no weapon against them. His sister, a woman he knew little about, was on the brink of death, and she was the last of his family, as far as he knew. But he didn't know. He didn't know anything because all the experiences that made him who he was had been ripped away from his mind and soul. He was nothing, and yet he was somehow losing everything.

"What are you doing?"

The voice of the police officer at the door startled some sense back into Steve, though he remained motionless. He didn't have the energy to explain whatever the officer needed explaining.

"I'm opening the blinds." Kono answered.

Startled further, Steve's eyes snapped up on their own accord. No longer by his side, Kono was standing in front of the window, indeed opening the blinds.

"It's a little gray in here, don't you think?" Kono said.

"You're making the McGarretts vulnerable to another murder attempt," the officer said, stiff as a board. The officer's words made Steve want to double over in pain, as if the words had somehow punched his fragile stomach, "Please close the blinds ma'am."

"You didn't have to say it like that," Kono said, closing the blinds with reluctant obedience.

The officer remained silent.

Steve couldn't breathe. Another murder attempt? Yes, the amount of officers protecting him and his sister made that possibility all too real, but to actual hear the words spoken made something inside Steve snap. Someone—if not multiple people—were out there trying to destroy him—destroy his _family_. Frankly, they had pretty much succeeded in murdering his psyche, but that just made him more vulnerable if—_when_—they returned to finish the job.

Steve seriously couldn't breathe.

"I'm going to…" Steve said, his mind not conjuring up any plausible excuses for him to use. It didn't seem to matter though, for his feet were already taking him out of the room, "I'm…."

No one seemed to need an excuse though. He couldn't hear any protests, anyway. With his legs moving at an urgent pace, air seemed to find its way into his lungs, promising him peace as long as he was in motion. So he moved faster. And faster. Before he knew it, he was running. The world around him blurred as he increased in speed.

And then he crashed.

Steve wasn't really sure what was happening. All he was really aware of was that the world dramatically flipped on its side, something really hot was burning through his clothes, and a very angry person was cursing and flailing underneath him.

"Steve? What—"

"Mr. McGarrett!"

Steve fell back onto his rear, disoriented.

"What did you do, Travis?"

"I didn't do anything."

"What are you talking about? You obviously did _something_. Look at him!"

Steve blinked. There was something familiar…

"Mr. Williams—"

"Don't call me that!"

Something in the corners of his mind was reaching out to him. It was weak, but if he could just…

_"McGarrett…"_

_"What did you do, Trevor?"_

_"I didn't do anything, but __**you**__ should."_

_Steve stood at the top base of the staircase. Ever since his mother's car accident, he couldn't sleep. His father, apparently, had been suffering from the same problem. Often Steve would sneak out from his bedroom with the intention of going downstairs, only to find that his father had beaten him to it. Instead of talking to his father—instead of admitting why sleep had been so elusive the past few weeks—Steve would remain hidden at the top of the staircase, listening to his father watch TV, make a sandwich, or something related to those simple tasks. It granted the young teen a rare sense of peace to have his father so close, so calm—so normal. That night though, something was wrong. For one, Trevor, his father's new partner, was standing in the living room._

_"What are you talking about?"_

_"Your kids, McGarrett. They can't stay here. In fact, you shouldn't stay here either."_

_"I'm not letting my wife's murderer get away."_

_Steve was sure his heart had stopped. Shaking, he slid to the floor._

_"If you don't, then you risk letting your wife's murderer get to your kids."_

_Steve couldn't stop shaking. He wanted to scream, to cry, but he forced himself silent. That couldn't be right. Who would want to purposefully harm his mother? His sweet, loving mother? It couldn't be true. His father was delusional with grief. He had to be._

_"McGarrett—"_

_"Don't call me that, Trevor. You know my name."_

"You know my name, Travis! Don't pretend you don't."

Steve was shocked to find himself standing.

"I didn't mean any offense—"

"Sure you didn't. Steve? Steve, you with us, buddy? What happened?"

Steve turned, his eyes finding Danny's. His anxiety was making it difficult to think, let alone breathe, but Steve could make out the lobster-red of Danny's face and the faded brown that was soaked into Danny's shirt.

_Danny had gone to get coffee…and I ran into him…he's mad._

But he didn't look mad now, save for the inhuman redness that distorted his face. He actually looked more scared than mad, but it was hard to tell with Danny glaring at him like that.

"Steve? Would you stop ignoring me already and tell me what's wrong?"

"My mom," Steve said, surprised by the hoarseness of his own voice.

"What?"

"Is everything alright?" a nurse shouted, making her quick way to them to survey the situation for herself.

Danny pointed in his direction, informing the nurse of Steve's head injury. Steve felt the nurse's hands on his face, her fingers forcing his eyes to open wider. Someone was yelling for a janitor, a bright light was blinding his right eye, and Steve felt certain his heart was going to stop at any moment. In fact, as his control of his body and vision began to fade from his grasp, he somehow knew it was.

"Steve!"


	14. Chapter 14

The apartment buildings, as dead as they had looked before, appeared to be parts of a wounded corpse. The security tapes acting as salted bandages, they surrounded the yellow scar that was Danny's apartment. The familiar warming sun could do little to brighten the scene. The angelic rays that touched the structures made the shadows sharper in their darkness while the structures themselves dulled under the powerful light. It was as if the entire place were telling all who entered: "It's hopeless."

Chin parked his car next to, what he knew to be, Banachek's car. Mentally prepared for the endeavor ahead, Chin tensed his shoulders as he stepped out of the vehicle and headed up the stairs.

"Chin Ho Kelly," Banachek announced, standing in front of Danny's open door.

"Don," Chin said simply, coming to stand in front of the motionless detective.

"Please address me as Detective Banachek. This is a case, not a social gathering."

"Fair enough," Chin obliged with a polite nod, detached from the implied insult, "Listen, I can help you."

"No."

"I have been living here for weeks—"

"No."

"I've gotten to know the victim and her habits."

"No."

"I have the eyes and instincts of a detective."

"No."

"You can trust me, Banachek."

The dark shades that rested over Don's eyes blocked any intruding observations Chin could have made on the other man's emotions. However, the stiffening of Don's jaw gave him away, and Chin knew he had gained a reaction.

"No. I can't."

Chin shrugged; a mocking act of defeat. Chin could feel the rigidness in his posture as much as he could feel the solid resolution in his heart. He no longer felt crippled by those like Don. So focused on the mission at hand, his emotions were strengthened to a numbed state. Chin was ready to face off with Banachek, and he was ready to use the ammo he had against him.

Don had once been an ally, but it was established—multiple times—that their companionship was in the past and no longer existed. Chin had finally chosen to accept that.

"Well, I suppose you are entitled to your mistrust. After all, Internal Affairs did accuse me of stealing millions of dollars," Chin said, his voice casual while his tone hinted a threat. Don seemed to hear it, for he raised his head and shoulders, "They had virtually no evidence against me, and they still managed to destroy my reputation and career. What _you_ were accused of, however, didn't so much as scratch your badge."

"What are you talking about, Kelly?"

"I know your wife is filing for divorce, and I know she knows that you cheated on her. Similar to me, the accusation against you has no evidence to back it up. If it did…well, your reputation with the department will remain intact, but your reputation with her money-craving divorce lawyer…."

Chin let the sentence hang in the air, watching as Banachek licked his lips in an attempt to appear calm and unworried.

"You're bluffing."

Chin reached his hand into his pocket, retrieving three R-rated photos of Banachek and a feisty redhead. Banachek barely glanced at the photos before he snatched them out of his hand, his shoulders hunched and his mouth wide. After a stunned moment of horror, Banachek whispered a curse, crumpling the photos in his hands.

"I have more in my email account. I can send those pictures to Pineki's lawyer, get her a better payday."

"I can't believe _you did this_."

In truth, Chin didn't. After Danny had gotten fired, Pineki offered him money to take surveillance photos of her unfaithful husband. Danny refused at first, his hope for getting his job and his comrades back still breathing in his mind. However, as time progressed, Danny's hope had morphed into grieving anger, making him vulnerable to accepting offers such as Pineki's. At the time, Chin was disappointed by Danny's actions, feeling it sunk too low for the blonde's standards. Now, Chin couldn't help but feel grateful that his ex-partner had emailed him the pictures for safe keeping.

"Excuse me, Detective Banachek," Chin said, moving passed Don to enter the apartment.

Don glowered behind him, but refrained from physically protesting.

Entering Grace's bedroom, Chin could feel some familiar essence of being a detective. Even with Don at his heels like a snarling hound, something within Chin felt reawakened.

"We've already been through the place," Don said, almost crowding Chin as he followed his every step, "You're not going to find anything."

"Then what are you doing here?" Chin asked as his eyes focused on the details of the nightstand next to Mary's bed.

Don was silent. Relieved at the lack of noise, Chin took the opportunity to ignore Don's presence altogether as he observed every bump and fiber of the white nightstand. He had been content with keeping his discoveries to himself, but with a significant witness as Don watching his every move, something in Chin began working on instinct.

"Look at these water rings," Chin said, crouching over the night stand as he pointed at the gloppy rings that overlapped one another."

"We took the glass of water into evidence."

"Was that where you found the arsenic?"

Again, Don's jaw stiffened.

_He's not at liberty to say. He's already said too much._

"Nevermind. But don't you see that there are two separate rings?"

Chin emphasized his statement by moving his pointer finger from one ring to the other.

"You're saying she had two glasses?" Don asked skeptically, condescendingly.

"No," Chin said. He glanced up at Don, undeterred by his emotionless face, "I'm saying that someone moved the glass from one position to another."

"Yeah. _The victim_. What's your point?"

"I don't think it was her."

"Give me a break, Kelly. It was the middle of the night, she took a drink of water, and put it back in a different place. It happens all the time."

"Look at this arsenic," Chin said, now motioning towards the inconsistent hills of poisonous powder that surrounded the water rings. Don let out an irritated sigh as he leant over to look, "When our killer was pouring the arsenic in her glass, he or she was nervous. They kept missing the glass, like their hands were shaking. And if their hands were shaking, then it is fairly probable that, when they were holding the glass, they unintentionally moved it."

Don, quiet once again, glanced over at Chin.

"You're saying our killer is an amateur?" Don asked, seeming to forget who he was talking to.

"Maybe. Or maybe there's higher stakes."

"What do you mean?"

"A lot of people are murderers, and too many people are good at it. But when the stakes are higher than the murder itself—say, a lot of money or a new employer—it can shake anyone's confidence."

"You think that's what this is?"

"I don't know," Chin confessed, standing in the place he believed the killer had been standing in the previous night. Don got out of the way, "If I'm nervous about this kill, and frustrated that I can't keep my hands still, my legs are probably trembling, my face is sweating—I may bring my hands or my arms to my face, forgetting about the arsenic—"

Chin's eyes snapped over to the tiniest object on the floor. It hid in the crease where carpet meant nightstand, and almost appeared to be that crease-line itself. Chin knew better though as he crouched to the floor. Don followed suit. Seeing as the detective had gloved hands, and assuming he had an evidence bag on him, Chin merely pointed at his find.

"Eyelash."

Don stared at where Chin pointed for a few moments before he used his gloved fingers to dig out the eyelash, snugged next to the nightstand. Once he had the piece of DNA evidence freed, he held it in his hand.

"It's probably the victim's." Don said.

"Probably," Chin said, his tone a contradiction to his agreement.

Don gave him one last skeptical look before pulling out an evidence bag from his jacket.

Danny paced in Mary's room, having been told that pacing in the hallway created an obstacle for the hurrying doctors and nurses. The blinds closed, the room did look rather gray, but with Officer Travis Adachi keeping his disapproving gaze on Kono, Kono could do little about the situation. Instead, she sat at Mary's bedside, holding the young woman's hand and trying to keep herself from slapping Danny. His twitchy, repetitive movements were annoying her to no end. She understood he feared for Steve, as well as for Mary, and she even understood what it meant to move about aimlessly to feel purposeful, but that didn't make it any less irking.

"We should have been updated by now," Danny said, still pacing.

Kono glared at the wall, hoping to keep her frustration to herself.

"He just passed out. That's not a medical emergency, is it?"

Kono sighed.

"Danny—"

"Was he poisoned too? Were we all poisoned? What's taking that update so long?"

"Danny—"

"He was acting weird—well, weirder than usual. That's gotta be a symptom. Maybe if a nurse would just _update_ me already, I would know, but—"

"DANNY!"

Danny came to an abrupt stop, turning to Kono with an astonished expression.

"What? What's with the yelling? What, are we in some rock concert that I can't see or hear? Because I was fairly certain we were in a hospital."

Kono made herself take in a deep, calming breath before making a response.

"While you are waiting for that _update_, maybe you should call Chin to let him know what happened," she all but growled.

"Call Chin? Where did he go?"

"He went back to the apartment. He wanted to check out the crime scene for himself."

Danny licked his lips, but otherwise remained unmoving.

"That wasn't a bad idea," Danny finally said after a few moments, taking out his cell phone and hurrying out of the room.

Kono managed to get a sound of protest out, unsure of what the subtext of Danny's previous statement was, but ultimately went unheard by the distracted blonde. Appreciating the peace Danny had left behind in the room, Kono tried to ignore her unease and returned her focus on Mary.

The young woman's hand felt so cold, and Kono couldn't stop the instinct to rub the thin palm between her own palms. The heart monitor, once a reassurance, now felt like a ticking time bomb without the numbers. At any moment, Mary could go, and Kono hopelessly hoped that, by increasing the blood flow in her hand, she could delay that horrible moment. After a few tiring moments of rubbing, Kono finally gave up and lowered Mary's motionless hand.

It was odd how responsible she felt for the blonde woman. In a way, she supposed that the three of them (being Chin, Danny, and herself) _adopted_ the McGarretts, so to speak. Chin had shot out of there like a cannon after taking a few good looks at Mary, leaving anger and determination in his wake. When Danny wasn't asking about that update, he was asking her about Mary, even though was more than capable of seeing the woman's status for himself. They all put personal investments in these people, and as horrible as the circumstances were, something in Kono felt…refreshed.

_Maybe I should be a doctor._

It wasn't the first time she considered pursuing that occupation. She told Chin she wanted to help people, and she meant it. Holding Mary's hand, watching her still face, praying for her survival, Kono believed she could truly be a valuable asset to a hospital.

But, see, that was the problem right there: _a valuable asset to a hospital_. She had the mindset of a cop. When Kono thought of saving lives, her first thoughts weren't of fighting diseases in a hospital; it was fighting drug-traffickers in a warehouse. As useful as she could be in a hospital, it just wasn't her fit.

She squeezed Mary's hand when she realized she was still staring at the young woman's inanimate face. Tears stung her eyes. How ironic, and selfish, it was for her to look towards her future's possibilities when Mary was close to losing all of hers.

"You're going to be okay," Kono said, bringing her other hand up to rub Mary's arm.

The limb, much to Kono's worries and disappointed, was cold.

"I know we're all acting like you're on your deathbed, but you're going to be okay. I know you're a lot tougher than you look. Chin told me what happened to you when you were a kid. If you can survive losing both of your parents at such a young age, you can survive this. I know you can."

When Mary didn't respond, Kono sighed.

"I've heard you say that Steve was like some kind of superhero. I've got news for you; you both come from the same gene pool. If he can be a superhero, then you have the capability of being one too. You just have to try."

Again, no response. Kono knew it was foolish to think that Mary would simply snap out of her coma at the sound of her words, but she couldn't help hoping. Besides, Kono did believe her words would have some effect on Mary, somehow.

"Excuse me," Officer Adachi said at the door. Kono turned and discovered that he wasn't talking to her, but some figure approaching the door, "I'm going to need to see some identification."

Kono stood up, her body tensed. She ran through worst case scenarios in her mind and tried to devise a quick, effective plan to deal with the possible danger. But then Adachi relaxed.

"State your association with the victim." Adachi said.

Kono craned her head to the side, trying to peer out the doorway and at whoever the stranger was. She managed to make eye contact with a tall, muscular man, his eyes sharp and demanding. He smiled sweetly at her, seeming to give her permission to relax.

"I'm Lieutenant Nick Taylor. I work with the victim's brother."


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you, Francis2, for your very kind review. :) I appreciate it. Now, as promised, there's more Danny in this chapter!**

"You used—you used _my _surveillance photos?" Danny exclaimed into his phone, glaring at the wall before him, "So, do your ethics only apply to me and no one else or was this your evil plan all along? I could have made a lot of money off those photos if you hadn't kept me from selling them to his wife. I probably wouldn't be Kamekona's snow cone man now if I had just ignored you and—"

"_Wait, __**that's**__ your job?_" Chin said.

Danny bit his lip and raised his head, staring indignantly at a bland painting of a forest. Of all the times to slip up….

"Erm," Danny said, his lips moving faster than his thoughts, "Look, the point is, they still haven't updated me on Steve's condition and Mary is still the same. So you should get down here—with a _zipped lip_."

"_As zipped as yours, brah. Promise,_" Chin said, having the audacity to sound amused. Danny deepened his glare, both annoyed and grateful he wasn't face to face with his ex-partner at the moment. While he normally had more of an advantage being within eye contact of a verbal opponent, he was at such a flabbergasted state that he wasn't sure if he could argue himself out of his earlier confession, "_Keep a close eye on everyone, Danny. I'll be there as soon as I can._"

"I know you will, buddy. Drive _safely_, please."

He heard Chin snort before a conclusive _click_ ended the conversation. Danny shut his phone and pocketed it, letting out a worried breath.

_An eyelash. That's something_, he thought to himself, trying to let the information ease his stress.

It didn't.

_Stupid McGarrett—getting under my skin._

The thought reminded him of the updates that nurse promised, and he feared he may have missed one while talking to Chin. He hoped Chin would hurry up and get there. He was always better at handling overwhelming emotions than Danny was, and while that stoic, calm manner of the older man's was always annoying, it was something Danny relied on. Right now, as Danny made his impatient way back to Mary's room, he couldn't help but crave for Chin's stable way of thinking and acting.

When he entered Mary's room, he spoke before he assessed his surroundings; an amateur mistake that he would later feel embarrassed about.

"Hey, did you get—" Danny came to an abrupt halt, both in sentence and in movement. Kono turned to him, her wide grin revealing she was recovering from a giggle fit. However, Danny wasn't so much looking at her as he was the redheaded stranger who was sitting next to her, also grinning oddly. The air held tension, for Danny instinctively was planning possible ways of attack against the intruder. He knew his face showed his thoughts, and he watched as the stranger acted oblivious. Not noticing that Kono was about to speak, Danny stared down the stranger and said, in a demanding tone, "Who are you?"

The stranger kept smiling. The smile, while charming in its own ways, was deceitfully innocent. Danny knew this because that _innocent_ smile didn't reach his eyes, which swirled and sparkled with scrutiny and…something else. The blonde wasn't quite sure what else was hiding behind that gaze, but he didn't like it.

The stranger stood up. Danny tensed his body, his frown deepening on its own accord.

"I'm Lt. Nick Taylor. I work with Steve."

Taylor stuck out his hand and Danny, reluctantly, shook it. An unspoken threat seemed to travel up Danny's arm, but Taylor's smile couldn't be friendlier.

"You work with Steve," Danny repeated, his eyes locked with Taylor's.

"That's right," Taylor said, releasing Danny's hand and straightening his shoulders, "We both took positions as Ambassador Sato's bodyguards."

"Bodyguards?"

"Yeah, Nick was just telling me about it," Kono said, gaining Taylor's attention, but not Danny's, "He said Ambassador Sato requested some SEALs to be his bodyguards because of the few attempts on his life."

"Well," Taylor said, still looking at Kono. Danny's eyes didn't falter as they analyzed every muscle-twitch in the redhead's face. He was more than determined to find Taylor's true angle in this entire mess, fearing it could mean death if he didn't, "I wouldn't say 'attempts on his life.' They only seem like a few harmless pranks."

"Then why'd you take the job?" Kono asked curiously.

Taylor nodded his head humbly, closing his eyes for the briefest moment. Danny was just as curious to hear his answer, but only because he knew he could decipher some truth from, what was bound to be, a dishonest story. When Taylor opened his eyes, he glanced over at Danny. Again, his smile was friendly, but that gaze…there was just something about it that rubbed Danny the wrong way.

"Ambassador Sato is a generous man. He is paying an abnormally high salary for his protection. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up."

Taylor kept staring at Danny, as if expecting a response, but Danny wouldn't give him one.

"So," Kono said, "How long are you staying in Hawaii?"

Taylor broke eye-contact with Danny again, smiling down at Kono. Danny felt his blood boil. Finally looking over at Kono, he noticed just how much she was wrapped around this guy's finger. Danny saw red, rage demanding he protect his friend, but he managed to keep the violent color tamed within his being.

"About a month, maybe two after the trial in Japan is over. Or, depending on the situation, until we find Ambassador Sato's 'attacker.'"

"Speaking of Japan," Danny said, his anger cooled into something more dangerous. Taylor seemed to notice, for his smile was quick to leave his face, "I've heard Ambassador Sato is there right now, dealing with the trial you mentioned. How can you protect him in Japan if you are here in _Hawaii_?"

"I came to get Steve," Taylor answered. He wasn't acting the least bit intimidated, but his tone felt slightly defensive. Danny honed in on it, "He was supposed to report back a few days ago."

"Why was he here if he was supposed to be in Japan?" Danny asked.

Taylor squinted at him. Danny squinted back, silently challenging his response before it came.

"He was following a lead on the Ambassador's attacker," Taylor said calmly, carefully, "He ordered us to go on ahead to Japan while he stayed back to follow the lead. Like I said, when he didn't report back, I volunteered to go back to figure out what happened."

"How did you figure out what happened?"

"Danny," Kono said, lightly touching his arm, "You don't need to be rude."

"How did you figure out what happened?" Danny repeated, overlooking the way Kono gripped his arm.

Taylor stared at him, looking a little insulted, but mostly looking tired.

"Do we have a problem here?"

"A problem?" Danny said, clasping his hands together and freeing his arm from Kono's grasp, "You think we have a problem?"

"Well—"

"You think it's a problem for some complete stranger with some vague story to walk in the hospital room of woman who was nearly murdered? Because, if you do, then I can assure you, I agree one hundred percent."

"Danny," Kono hissed, but the blonde was too distracted by his standoff with Taylor to pay her much notice.

"I'm not the stranger here." Taylor argued.

"No, of course not. You're the guy that shows up two weeks after your 'colleague' nearly dies."

"What are you implying?"

"Guys," Kono interrupted, quick to stand in between the two imposing men, "Let's calm it down. We're in a hospital."

Danny was seething, but Kono's presence and words, so much like her cousin's, had him lowering his chest and softening his glare. Taylor mirrored his actions.

"You didn't answer my question." Danny pushed.

Kono, rigid in her stance, let out an irritated breath. Danny looked around her and at Taylor, eyeing him impatiently. Taylor glared, pushing his downward lips into a tight line. Danny, though his nerves were somewhat relaxed, was ready to leap across the room if he had to. He knew he was pushing Taylor and that, at any moment, the man's façade would fall apart. Then Danny would have to—

"Mr. Williams?"

They all turned towards the doorway where a middle-aged nurse stood next to a worried-looking Travis Adachi, hand on holster. Danny, having forgotten about Travis, stared at the man's hand hovering over his gun and wondered who Travis was considering a threat. Then, finding much more interest in the nurse, Danny's eyes snapped over to hers. His thought process was so quick, it was sloppy, but he made the best decision he could under the circumstances.

He dragged Kono over to the doorway.

"Ow—OW. Danny!" Kono said, punching him in the arm when he let her go.

"Keep an eye on him," Danny whispered in her ear.

She did as told, so Danny silently forgave her when she rolled his eyes at him and shrugged helplessly at Taylor. Plus, with his arm throbbing with pain, he was more than appreciative that her face was turned away from him as he shamefully rubbed the hurt away.

"This is about McGarrett?" Danny whispered to the nurse, his head so close that the poor woman tilted her own head back to gather some distance between the two.

"Yes," she said, speaking the word so loud it almost made Danny cringe, "He's fine. He suffered a mild case of shock, but he's stable now. He should wake up any minute."

"Is that about Steve? What happened?" Taylor asked, politely pushing passed Kono.

"None of your business," Danny barked at him.

"Steve's my superior."

"So you say."

"You are _both _entitled to information regarding Steve McGarrett, but if you're going to cause a scene, I'm throwing the two of you out of my hospital," the nurse snapped, turning on her heels before Danny could utter a protest, "If you want to visit him, I'll lead you to his room."

For a second, the only person who moved was the nurse, who was striding down the hallway as if she had something to gain. As much as Danny wanted to follow her, the thought of having this _Nick Taylor_ near Steve—having him so close to Steve's sister was making him sick with protective anger. Perhaps, he was overreacting and Taylor was a decent human being. Great. Fantastic. Nothing would make Danny happier. But if he was right, then he was the only thing standing between a potential murderer and the unconscious McGarretts, seeing as Chin was absent and Kono was…delusional, or something.

"Lead the way, Mr. Williams," Taylor said, motioning his arm forward as if that action alone would convince Danny.

Danny hesitated a moment further before, very bitterly, hurrying after the nurse. Taylor walked behind him, his posture relaxed and confident.

*.*.*.*

Hess took his time washing his hands, not glancing at the surgeons and nurses doing the same thing in the same room. A surgical mask and cap concealing the majority of his head, Hess let the scrubs he wore tell all the lies his words wouldn't need to. The small room, withholding the echoes of running water and quiet words, was the perfect hiding place. All he had to do was play the part, and wait for Taylor to say the word.

*.*.*.*

Steve snored, presently ignorant of his frantic surroundings. The cotton blanket that lay over him, while looking dreadful on Mary, looked rather comfortable on Steve. Perhaps it was because the SEAL was simply napping and not fighting off poisons in his system. Danny almost felt embarrassed for worrying so much, but he reminded himself again of Steve's sister and put those feelings to rest. Besides, with Taylor clearly feigning concern, Danny wasn't through worrying.

"You think it's true—what the nurse said, I mean?" Taylor asked him, tilting his head as he observed Steve's chest moving, "You think he went into shock because he remembered something?"

Danny, standing on the other side of the bed, subconsciously leant over Steve's slumbering form. Glaring daggers into Taylor's forehead, he gave an honest answer.

"I don't know."

Taylor glanced up at him and, with no witnesses, he seemed to be a little less caring of keeping up his own charade. Whatever was making his eyes so bothersome to Danny, it now rested on his entire face. It was as if Taylor was…calculating him—his personality, his motives—Danny supposed it was only fair, for he had been doing the same ever since he first laid eyes on Taylor. Regardless, it proved to Danny that Taylor's intentions weren't the purest.

"Well," Taylor eventually said, glancing over his shoulder, "Now that I know Steve's okay, I better be calling our boys back in Japan."

"You do that." Danny said.

Taylor walked out of the room, his posture suggesting all was fine, while the frustration that contorted his face said something else entirely. Danny was more than tempted to follow him—wished he could without being detected—but knew Taylor would spot him a mile away. Besides, he didn't want to leave Steve alone. Sure, there were two officers at the door, but they didn't feel like enough protection. There were still too many questions for Danny to feel comfortable enough to leave Steve alone and helpless like that. Once they caught the person, or the _people_, that harmed the McGarretts, maybe then Danny could stop being the mother hen in this insane situation.

Sighing, Danny checked Steve to make sure Taylor hadn't done any secret-SEAL stuff to him. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he nearly jumped when Steve snored particularly loud.

"I'm even more embarrassed now that you managed to get the drop on me."

Steve let out a long breath, as if in response.

Danny shook his head, but smiled nevertheless.

*.*.*.*

"Just a few men. That's all I need and I'll finish this tonight," Taylor promised, leaning against the wall casually.

"_Last time it was just a boat you needed. Tell me why this won't be another failure._"

"Because I recognize now that Hess is an inferior, not an equal. I can control his strings and make him do exactly what I want—what you want."

The other end was silent. It was difficult to act like this call held no tension or danger, but Taylor kept his shoulders down and his head tilted. He noticed Chin Ho Kelly walking down the hall, but refrained from making eye contact, blending in with the other people Kelly took no notice of.

"_If you fail me again, Taylor, I won't be as understanding as I was the last time. Your son will die._"

Taylor felt his pulse throb in his neck.

"Understood," he said, waiting for Wo Fat to hang up before he dared to do so himself.

Taking several deep breaths, and trying to remain upright without looking like he was going to vomit, Taylor managed to compose his outer appearance. With a mission on the front of his mind, his body reacted robotically as he headed towards Mary's room.

_No more hesitations. No more mistakes. No more mercy._

Even as he had those thoughts, he entered Mary's room with a kind smile, nodding at the officer absentmindedly.

"Nick," Kono addressed, looking over Kelly's shoulder. Kelly turned around as his cousin stepped to the side, motioning in his direction, "Chin, this is the guy I've been telling you about. Nick, this is my cousin, Chin. He helped save both Steve and Mary."

Taylor stuck out his hand because his brain told him it was the polite, innocent thing to do. Chin smiled and shook his hand respectively, assuring Taylor that Williams was the only problem he needed to deal with that night.

"I can't tell you how grateful I am for your heroic actions," Taylor said, gripping the man's hand a little harder.


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you guys for your reviews. They have been taken into consideration, I assure you. :) And thanks to all who story-favorited, story-alerted, etc. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

Upon receiving the text message "be patient" from Taylor, Hess snuck out and roamed the halls, trying to look purposeful in his hurried strides. Something wasn't right. Taylor was keeping something from him; Hess could feel it in his jittery bones.

"Excuse me, doctor," a young nurse said, approaching him with timid eyes.

He barked angry things at her, scaring her away in seconds. He ignored the gawking faces of witnesses, hoping the determination he felt in his weary stomach was shining in his uncovered eyes. No one would bother a doctor on a mission.

What was Taylor waiting for? They had them in their grasps. Why was he taking so long?

"Doctor—"

"Not _now_!" Hess barked, shoving passed another nurse.

The hallways began to feel more congested as Hess traveled through a busier part of the hospital. Pushing passed people, and hoping he didn't look as panicked as he felt, he made his way to the cold stairwell and hurried up the stairs. The soft echo of his shoes meeting cement compromised his ability to hear any other sounds. His heart hammered as paranoia tortured his senses, warning him of nonexistent threats at every corner. He grabbed at the railing and quickened his pace.

Was Taylor going to take him out? Was Taylor ordered to get rid of—he had made some rather embarrassing mistakes—but Wo Fat needed—no, no he didn't really need—he planned this all along!

"Whoa! Stop right there!"

Hess froze. A few steps above him, guarding the entrance to the floor he needed to be on, was a police officer.

"I'm sorry, doc, but I need to see some I.D."

For a second, Hess didn't move. Then something flashed over the officer's eyes.

_Suspicion._

Hess didn't think another word as he leapt up the stairs, his blood running on a survivor's instinct.

*.*.*.*

It wasn't until Nick Taylor frowned did Chin grew weary of him. There were a variety of frowns—more than people were probably aware of—and the frown that seemed to scar Taylor's face was one of cautious fury. He was holding something back and, by the looks of it, it was something dangerous. What was really disturbing though was that his frown only appeared when he looked at Mary.

"I'm going to go get a cup of Joe," Taylor said, grinning over at Kono as he politely offered her his arm, "Care to join me?"

Kono blushed. Something within Chin felt iced over and, before he knew it, he was shoving his way in between the two.

"Sure. I'd love to get some coffee." Chin said.

Taylor blinked at him a couple of times.

"Uh, okay, sure." He said.

Kono sighed and was the first to move forward. Chin was quick to follow her while Taylor lagged behind.

"You're treating me like a child again," Kono whispered to his face.

"I don't—" Chin stopped himself, feeling Taylor's presence was too close for private words to be spoken, "Just…just be careful."

Kono didn't respond. She didn't even look at him. Chin held back an irritated sigh and glanced over his shoulders, making eye-contact with a smiling Taylor. Chin glared at him in hopes to warn him off, but the redhead feigned innocence.

A hospital was in no way a romantic place. The walls were pale, the floors were freckled with dust, and the air was stale with the accented scents of sickness and medicine. Not only that, but the constant motion of urgency that traveled up and down the hallways made it difficult to relax. Regardless, Chin worried. He worried because Taylor could very well be the attempted murderer they're looking for; he worried because he wasn't sure what the Navy SEAL would do next; and he worried because his baby cousin might get in the crosshairs of it all.

*.*.*.*

Officer Travis Adachi watched, uninterested, as the three walked away from him. He was more than appreciative to be just a background object in their little world. For one, it meant that he was doing his job well. For two, it meant that he didn't have to converse with them. Particularly grateful for that, Adachi couldn't help but smirk as he returned his attention to the room.

_No threat_, he assessed after a few moments of observation.

Adachi then turned to observe the hallway, only to be startled by a silent presence that rushed into the victim's room. Adachi roared his demands that the perpetrator cease movement, but the fact that said perpetrator was wearing an officer's uniform calmed Adachi's nerves, if only slightly. His hand, having snapped to his gun seconds ago, lost some of its tension.

"Hey, what's the problem?" Adachi asked.

When the officer turned to face him, Adachi was first surprised that he didn't recognize the man. Before he could react accordingly, he was sucking in chloroform against his will.

*.*.*.*

"Alright, Steven, I know the nurse said it'd be better for you to wake up on your own," Danny said, poking the sleeping man's face with indifference, "but this is really boring and honestly…I feel a little guilty about leaving your sister alone. Well, not _alone_ alone, but…you know?"

Danny yawned. Ever since he started his job as snow cone-man, he hadn't been sleeping well. His muscles no longer ached, but his body was rather high maintenance when it came to sleep and it was almost…

"8:50 p.m.," Danny read aloud, his eyes glued to his watch, "Wow, I'm pathetic."

He yawned again. Tired tears rested on the rims of his eyelids, blurring his vision and his consciousness. Losing himself to a drowsy-world, Danny returned to poking Steve's face with little thought.

"You know, this is all your fault," the blonde said, seeming to be unaware that he was having a conversation with an unconscious person, "Before you, I slept great. Well, before you and after I got fired as a cop, I slept great…oh, and before I got hired as a ridiculous living snow cone. Yeah…sleeping-wise, it was the best year of my life."

Yawning again, Danny realized how exhausted he really was and tried to shake himself back into awareness. He had a nasty habit of babbling when he was tired enough. It was similar to when he was awake and particularly angry; the words just seemed to fly out of his mouth before they've even had the chance to enter his brain.

"Wake up, Daniel," Danny commanded himself, trying to rub the fatigue from his face, "Wake up."

He almost yawned again, but managed to contain it behind closed lips. So focused on stopping the yawn, he managed to hear something rather odd.

"We're switching shifts an hour early? What's the occasion?"

Danny turned and looked out the doorway. Officer Wakata and Officer Kaaua stood at their posts, but seemed a little too relaxed for Danny's comfort as they conversed with two other officers. Danny leant back in an attempt to get a better look at the other officers' faces, but Wakata's and Kaaua's frames got in the way.

"That's too bad, brah," Wakata's loud voice boomed, "but it's pretty awesome for us. Come on, Eric."

Danny watched, shocked and flustered, as Wakata and Kaaua ignorantly abandoned their posts. Not only were they going against protocol, they were potentially putting himself and a victim in harm's way. Danny was certain his heart nearly gave out.

"Whoa, whoa," he called out, apprehension pumping stressed energy into his veins as he hurried to the door, "I don't think so. Show me some credentials. I want to see some I.D."

It worried Danny that he didn't recognize the scarred faces blocking his way to the hall. True, it was unlikely that he would know every single officer that worked in the department, but—

He managed to dodge the fist that sped towards his face, but he was unable to maneuver around the fist that made harsh contact with his stomach. The soft click of the door shutting went unheard as Danny dodged another punch and tackled the _officer_ against the wall. He got a few good punches to the assailant's face, but Danny was kneed in the groin before he could do any more damage. Then his opponent kicked him in the stomach, making him stumble back a few steps next to the room's window. Danny glanced out it, seeing the other _officer_ standing guard outside. His stomach gurgled its agony to him as he tried to dodge further assaults and fight back. Somehow, he ended up falling on top of Steve, his back landing on the unconscious SEAL's stomach. The attacker's fingers were quick to find Danny's throat, squeezing it shut. Danny at first tried to ply the fingers off of him before he desperately tried to fight the attacker off with enfeebled limbs. It took him a few seconds to even consider waking Steve—a_ Navy SEAL_. His suffocating lungs were sending panicked signals to his brain as Danny slapped Steve's face and chin.

_Wake up! WAKE UP!_

The second Danny's hand made contact with Steve's face, the attacker's eyes widened. He yanked the former detective to his feet, giving Danny the chance to wreak his vengeance and knee his opponent's own groin. The attacker cringed and cried out, grip loosened and then lost on the blonde's throat. Danny all but collapsed on the occupied bed behind him. He managed to hold himself up on wobbly legs as he sucked in and gagged on the massive amount of air he normally took for granted. After a few greedy seconds of breathing and coughing, Danny stood tall. Adrenaline keeping his eyes abnormally wide and his posture trembling with anticipation, he was all but ready to pounce on his attacker and render him unconscious…

until he was tasered in the head.

*.*.*.*

Taylor took a long, tolerant sip of the disgusting, brown liquid adjacent to his lips. Kono mirrored his actions, almost perfectly, but flinched when the beverage actually made contact with her tongue. Taylor smirked. He had to admit, this girl was rather charming.

"So, Taylor," Chin said, speaking in a tone that suggested he heard his thoughts, "Do you think these attacks against the McGarretts are related to the attacks against Ambassador Sato?"

They all resided near the coffee machine, sitting in cushioned chairs that advertised more comfort than they actually had. Taylor and Kono had been having some odd staring contest while Chin practically pouted in the corner. It was somewhat of an amusing situation, giving the true circumstances behind it all.

"I doubt it," Taylor said after a moment. He shook his head with fake consideration, trying to find a verbal way to get Kelly off his back, "Sato wasn't literally attacked. The McGarretts were. But, I don't know."

"You don't know _what_?" Chin asked, eyes squinted.

"The answer to your question. Not yet anyway."

Taylor's phone vibrated loudly on the small table beside him. Casually, he picked his phone up, feeling it shake within his grip as he checked to see what type of message he was receiving.

"Excuse me," he said, nodding false apologies to the two cousins before walking away from them.

He walked for about two minutes, tired eyes brightening under the influence of caffeine. Eventually, he found a decent place by a wall to check his text message in private. Leaning against said wall, relaxing his alert frame and forcing himself to rest for a moment, he opened his message.

_Williams got in the way. Had to knock him out. In McGarrett's bathroom. How to proceed?_

Taylor dipped his head forward, releasing a silent wave of curses and frustration. Letting himself hang there for a vulnerable moment, emotion gave way to rationality as a new plan formed in his brain.

*.*.*.*

"_Keep an eye out for a man named Victor Hess._"

Hess nearly stopped his hurried tracks, instead managing to turn swiftly towards a nurses' station. His stomach collided with the counter's edge and the core of his hands trembled as he tried to steady himself. He couldn't help chastising himself for parking his body at such a dangerous location. The obvious danger was the cops, who crowded this particular nurses' station like a bunch of dehydrated African animals crowded a watering hole. The less obvious, yet still significant, danger was the perceptive nurses who watched him with suspicious eyes, uncertain of which doctor he, supposedly, was.

"_The drug dealer?_"

The black radios, all clinging to their respective owners, were almost completely in sync as they cackled out his name and his title—too much valuable information for these cops to even think about at that particular moment in time. He wasn't far enough out of the woods yet.

"_He's done a variety dealings, but yes. He's our alleged attacker. Consider him armed and dangerous._"

Hess felt his face grow warm as sweat gathered underneath his clammy hands. He would have left the hospital premises and escape to the mainland if he thought he could make it before Wo Fat's goons caught up with him. Instead, he knew himself to be safest within the hospital walls where it was public enough for a discreet murder to be impossible. Plus, with the need of a job to be done, Hess figured Taylor wouldn't try anything until the McGarretts were taken out indefinitely.

Then he had to go stand by a cop upon hearing his name and…

and this may be the only way he could get out alive.

It had been a long time since Hess truly and fully lost respect for himself. Being intimidated by Wo Fat was one thing, but to actually turn himself in just to get away from the man? Not to mention there were bound to be some of Wo Fat's loyal followers in prison. Hess would never be able to completely escape from the psychopath. Regardless, Hess couldn't perceive any other option that didn't have himself being murdered by something as trivial as a paperclip.

That's when his phone vibrated.

"Excuse me," a nurse addressed him, but Hess ignored her and checked his phone, "Doctor, I said 'excuse me.'"

_Williams in McGarrett's room. Need you to get him out of the hospital and take care of it. Don't worry, he's unconscious, so even you can't mess this up._

Hess blinked at the text message, his mind playing it over again and reaching a surprising conclusion.

_Taylor messed up_.

That's why he delayed Hess. If there was a plan to take him out, which Hess still believed there was, Taylor either didn't know about it or he wasn't going to do it yet. And how fortunate that Taylor's mistake would be his own saving grace.

"Doctor!" the nurse repeated, huffing the word like a curse, "Let me see that badge of yours. I don't recognize you."

"I'm from the second floor," Hess said, practically shoving his badge in the nurse's face. His familiar calm under pressure reassured him of his safety, and he almost smiled underneath the surgical mask when he realized how unthreatened he felt by the cop watching him curiously. _He was back_, "I wouldn't expect you to remember me, _Alice_, seeing as I'm only up here to check on the patients I transfer, since I'm a good doctor and not some inconsiderate lacky of one."

"_Excuse me?_"

Hess returned his badge to his chest pocket, pulling off the paper cap from his head as he stormed off.

"Can't get three seconds of quiet," Hess growled, throwing away his cap in an act of anger before snaking his way around an orderly pushing a cart.

He smirked as he heard the nurse yell obscenities at him, knowing she would remain at her station as her schedule demanded.


	17. Chapter 17

**This one came out a little short, but hopefully it is dramatic/suspenseful enough to keep you guys full. ;) Thank you all for your reviews, story-favs, story-alerts, etc. You've all been great. Critcisms welcomed, as always. :) **

Kono lifted her head at the distinct sound of shoes squeaking over a tiled floor. The tension left behind by hers and Chin's most recent _discussion_ was too present for her comfort, but upon seeing Nick heading their way she smiled. With Chin's sour face in the corner of her eye, she tried to ignore her growing annoyance and enjoy the view.

"Hey," she greeted, her body relaxed in a stiff chair.

"Hey," Nick said to her, nodding a silent greeting at Chin, who was too stubborn to return the gesture.

Kono was tempted to hit him. She normally didn't question her cousin's judgment, but, when it came to his ohana, Chin could be a little paranoid. So what if Kono had a little thing for redheads? Not every redhead she smiled at was some evil murderer. Where Nick's intense gaze came off threatening to Chin, she found it to be more emotionally perceptive, as if he were letting his emotions explain to him what his eyes were seeing. It was rather intriguing, though Danny and Chin seemed disturbed by it. Maybe it was witnessing one too many murders that put them on edge. She couldn't know, not having any real field experience.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" Nick asked her.

Startled, her eyes widened automatically. Kono hadn't realized she had been staring at Nick this entire time. His head dipped down to watch her, his amusement at her embarrassment gentle in its charms. Kono nearly forgot about Chin, who reminded her of his presence by pushing his shoulder into her own.

"Not right now," Chin answered for her, "We don't feel comfortable leaving Mary alone."

Kono did agree with Chin's statement, but her rising fury contorted honest thoughts.

"Oh," Nick said, his stance relaxed but his face awkward, "I thought, maybe, _you_ could stay with Mary. Keep an eye on her for us."

"That sounds like a fair compromise," Kono said, pushing Chin out of her way as she stood, "A walk sounds lovely."

Nick smiled, offering her his arm. Kono, expecting Chin to object at any second, quickly took it and tried to hurry away. If she got some space from her cousin, she was sure she could approach this subject with him again without getting so defensive. When she and Nick walked a few steps ahead, their arms locked in a soothing embrace, Kono really thought she was in the clear. Then Chin's footsteps echoed her own, mocking her high hopes.

*.*.*.*

Seeing Steve McGarrett, however immobile he was, made Hess's back go rigid. For a second, he was grateful that he brought a gurney merely because it produced a barrier between himself and his dangerous foe. However, after another second passed by, reality sank in and Hess remembered that McGarrett could do him no harm; not at present. So the reasons for appreciating the convenient gurney changed yet again as Hess walked to the restroom. He glanced back at McGarrett one more time and smirked. There was a morbid fascination with this scenario now, one that both amused Hess and motivated him to hurry up and open the door. Cautiously, he did just that, feeling more than hearing the _thud_ of the door bumping into a slumped figure.

_Detective Williams_, Hess greeted in silence.

It didn't take long for Hess to discover the two distinct burn marks on the detective's right cheek.

_Taser. He'll be out a while._

Assured of this, Hess half-dragged, half-carried the blonde to the gurney before maneuvering him on it. As he took a moment for breath, he glanced back at McGarrett again to make sure he was still unconscious.

_With that man, I never know._

Hess pulled the sheet over Williams. He looked over the two men guarding the door, noting that their vertically positioned hands, hanging stiffly by their wastes, were signaling him to wait. Hess turned his head to observe McGarrett yet again and felt an itch of opportunity. True, he needed to use Williams as his escape route as quick as possible, but making a slight detour didn't seem life-threatening at all. In fact, it would probably benefit Hess later on. With McGarrett as vulnerable and unaware as he was, Hess would be a fool to abandon the chance to finally end the SEAL's life.

*.*.*.*

Chin felt torn. His feet kept loyal in their pursuit of Kono and Taylor, but they truly desired to return to Mary's side. She was Jack's daughter and in danger, he shouldn't leave her alone. However, Kono was his cousin and she was possibly in danger, he couldn't leave her alone either.

For the most part, the walk had been harmless. They were walking around in a hospital full of witnesses, after all. It wasn't as if Taylor could do much without getting caught. Still, Chin couldn't help but feel the only reason Taylor didn't branch off from the hallway to somewhere more secluded, like an elevator or a closet, is because Chin was there to stop him. Even if he was being "paranoid," as Kono had put it, Chin couldn't take the chance of leaving her if he was right. But Mary….

"Excuse me, I have to take this," Taylor said, motioning at his phone before leaving them in search of a more private location.

Chin glanced at Kono, who stared after Taylor, before he made the decision to follow the redhead.

"Chin?" Kono said, sounding confused as Chin headed both away from her and Taylor.

Having frequented this hospital enough in his lifetime, Chin knew his way around the hallways and doctors' lounges. He didn't have to walk right behind Taylor to pursue him in this hospital. If he did, Kono would call him out on it before he could get any significant intel.

Quick on his feet, Chin seemed to slide from hallway to room to room to hallway. Before he knew it, he had Taylor back in his sights, whispering tersely into his cell phone. Chin closed in on him a little farther.

"What do you mean they know? …. It _does_ matter. Just do what I say and get Williams out and don't come back. I'll deal with the rest…. Hess? …Hess?"

Taylor hung up his phone, a string of heated curses leaving his mouth in a low volume. His body curled, appearing on the verge of explosion, before he relaxed the tension and dialed another number.

Chin's heart hammered in his chest.

_Danny._

Again, Chin felt torn. He had to go find his ex-partner before Hess got to him—if Hess didn't have him already. But he couldn't leave yet, seeing as Taylor was about to make another important phone call. And he certainly couldn't leave Kono behind.

_Hang on, Danny. A few more minutes. Please._

"Hey, it's me," Taylor said into the phone, "Hess is going rogue on us. Expose him. The cops already know he was in Mary's room…. Do whatever you have to do in whatever order, just make sure that both situations are taken care of discreetly. Then take care of McGarrett. I'll worry about his sister."

This time when Taylor hung up, Chin didn't stick around. He had more than enough information to handle the upcoming crises that would surely occur. Right now, he had to get to his cousin and Danny before it was too late.

*.*.*.*

Hess had only hung up his phone a few seconds when Taylor called him. Upon hearing the instructions, he turned to pay more particular to Hess and his actions. He merely cocked an eyebrow when he saw Hess choking the unconscious McGarrett. When Taylor ended the call, he nodded at his counterpart, who received the message and moved aside to allow him into the room and then shutting the door behind him. With the room secured, he walked behind Hess and tazed him in the neck. He managed to drag the convulsing man off of McGarrett before dropping him to the floor. Once Hess stilled, he made sure the man was unconscious before he began to strip the officer uniform off of himself.

He was pushing Detective Williams out in the gurney two minutes later, the scrubs a size too small more his muscular torso. His counterpart nodded at him again as he headed out the door. He understood its message.

_Ten minutes and then I'll take care of Hess and McGarrett._

*.*.*.*

"Kono."

He couldn't say the two syllables of her name fast enough. Her head snapped up at her name. He could tell she understood the urgency of what was about to happen by the way she gawked at him.

"Chin?" she said as he nearly crashed into her, "What's going on?"

"We need to leave," Chin said, his voice clear despite its slight breathiness, "Danny's in trouble."

"What about—"

He was already dragging her down the hall, silently urging her to move faster.

"No time. Trust me."

Bless her heart, she did. She no longer questioned him, instead trying to run as fast as he was down the hall. She even mimicked his movements, down to the letter, as he maneuvered around people in the hallway. It was only when they reached the nurses' station and he told her to stay did Kono protest.

"You said Danny was in trouble," Kono argued, as if that said it all.

"Stay here," Chin repeated, hoping the harshness in his tone would force her to obey.

The nurses' station, surrounded by his old coworkers, was the safest place he could think of to leave Kono. He didn't want to leave her behind with Taylor, but he certainly couldn't lead her into the same room as Victor Hess. As much as he believed in her talents and capabilities, she simply wasn't trained enough to handle it. Not yet anyway.

"_Don't_ talk to Taylor. I'm serious, Kono," Chin said, again hoping that Kono would hear the sincerity and the threat in his tone as he took off.

He was more than relieved when she didn't follow him. The relief soon evaporated as adrenaline started to make an entrance. As weak as it was at that point, it still managed to make his legs move faster. He reached Steve's room in record time.

"Danny!" he called out, praying for the blonde to make his usual irritated greeting.

Instead, because he only took mental note of the uniform in front of the door and not the face, he received a punch to his upper cheekbone. After that, everything he did was on instinct. He was dishing as many punches as he was receiving, but he really felt he had the upper hand on his opponent, seeing as his steps were steady while the imposter's were not. But then, out of nowhere, he was tackled to the ground by a different source entirely.

"Stand down, Kelly!"

_Wakata._

"You don't understand," Chin tried to say, but Wakata jerked his body roughly to silence him. It didn't work, "I'm not the bad guy here."

Chin heard the _click_ of closing cuffs. The cold metal against his wrists forced Chin to accept that he was perceived as the threat, not the fake cop at the door. He struggled under Wakata's weight, but the man was not small.

"Kai, listen," Chin said, letting out a quiet grunt as Wakata lifted him to his feet. Chin felt aghast to find Kaaua talking to his attacker like one would to a college buddy, "He's a fake, Kai! He attacked me."

"That's not how he tells it," Eric Kaaua said, skeptical eyebrows raising as he watched Chin struggle within his partner's grasps.

"Please," Chin pleaded, panic sinking in. Steve and Mary were sitting ducks, and the officers didn't even know. It would only be a matter of time before Kono got in the way. And Danny. He had no idea where Danny was. The police—their old allies—weren't going to help them any longer. If Chin was going to be violently ripped from the picture, then he couldn't save any of them. He couldn't protect any of them. His heart beat painfully, as if preparing itself for the tragedies that were certain to occur, "Please! He will hurt them! NO! You can't—he'll KILL THEM! He's working with Nick Taylor and Victor Hess! Don't leave him alone! Don't leave any of them alone! NO! Stop!"

Chin tried to dig his shoes into the tiles—tried to stop Wakata from pulling him away from merely one of the threats against everyone that mattered to him. He failed.


	18. Chapter 18

**November 26, 2011**

**As promised, I went back over the chapter and edited it. :) Again, thank you guys for your reviews, story-favoriting, story-alerting, etc. :)**

WARNING (again):** I do actually use a real curse word in here (*gasp*). lol. I try to avoid cursing as much as possible, as you have probably noticed, but it felt right to keep this one curse word in.**

**Disclaimers: I don't own anything of nintendo. I don't own anything of _The She-Hulk. _And I don't own anything of _The Silence of the Lambs_. And, just in case I forgot something, I don't own anything that I don't own (lol, rather redundant, but I'm keeping it in).**

**November 25, 2011**

**Hey guys, sorry I updated this so late, but as you can see, it's rather long. :) Hopefully, this makes up for the previous chapter's length. I also want to apologize for any errors in this chapter. I promise I will go over the chapter and fix it tomorrow and re-update it. I just wanted to get this chapter posted before it was TOO too late. ;)**

**Anyway, this chapter is pretty much all in Steve's head, so you still don't find out what happens in the hospital (muhaha, I'm so mean ;)). However, this chapter does answer a lot questions. :) **

**Hope you enjoy. Oh, and thank you all for reviewing, story-favoriting, story-alerting, etc. :D**

WARNING**: I do actually use a real curse word in here (*gasp*). lol. I try to avoid cursing as much as possible, as you have probably noticed, but it felt right to keep this one curse word in.**

**Disclaimers: I'll put the disclaimers tomorrow. I'm kinda tired now. ;) lol, just know that there a bunch of things in this chapter that I do not own.**

_It had been, perhaps, the best day of his life. Being as young as he was, he didn't fully realize that he considered most of his days the best day of his life. He normally didn't recognize his optimistic perception being as such and thus never had the right words to express it. Today, however, had been perfect. You didn't have to be all grown up to know how to acknowledge a perfect day. The words were easy to find._

_"Today is the best day of my life."_

_For one, it was a school day. School days were the best because he got to show a bunch of kids how cool and talented he was. The other day, he was the first to answer a math problem Miss Sty had written out on the board. That day had been great too._

_However, the main reason that this day was particularly special—_the cherry on top_, as his mom would say—was his dad. Today, he had brought his dad in to show and tell. And, as he predicted, it was the best show and tell anyone had ever brought. When the kids weren't gaping at his dad with awe, they were worshipping the ground he walked on. And why wouldn't they? His dad was a police officer. He got to carry weapons (though, despite Steve's begging, he had only brought the Taser to school), his uniform was cool and crisp, his hat roared its authority, and his badge—his BADGE—was so awesome. It sparkled and shimmered under the school's dull lights, the pure gold radiating glory._

_"Is that so?" his dad asked, glancing at him through the rearview mirror._

_Sitting proudly in the backseat of his dad's police car, secretly enthralled that criminals had sat back there, he grinned at the back of his dad's ear._

_"Yup. In fact, when I grow up, I want to be a cop just like you."_

_Steve thought that would be a positive thing to say. He meant it with all his heart, but, at the time, he had merely said it because he had been certain it would make his dad as happy as he was. Instead, the corner of his dad's mouth—the only part of his mouth that Steve could see—went down. Confused and worried, Steve looked at the rearview mirror and saw his father's eyes hardened into an emotion he couldn't identify. Steve gulped._

_"Dad?"_

_His father didn't immediately answer. Being a rather impatient child, Steve was quick to repeat himself._

_"Look, son," his dad said and something within Steve coiled up. He absolutely hated it when his father referred to him as "son." It usually meant something unpleasant would be discussed, "I am proud to be a police officer, and I am very proud to work for the Honolulu Police Department and for the safety of this island, but…it's difficult work, son. I don't want you to go through that."_

_"But I can work hard!" Steve said, defiant of what he thought his dad was implying._

_His father sighed._

_"That's not what I meant."_

_"Then…what did you mean?"_

_His father never gave him a direct answer. Steve pushed and pushed and even whined a little, but his father dropped the subject and was determined on keeping it drop. It wasn't until years later did Steve realize what his father was trying to tell him._

_*.*.*.*_

_"And then he said he thought it was cool that we have a Super Nintendo. We got one when they were first releasing it, so that really impressed him because his parents can't afford to get him one yet. I don't play it, but I told him I did and he said I was really—"_

_"Shut up, Mary," Steve finally snapped, his arm trembling with the desire to throw a dinner roll at his annoying little sister, "Nobody cares!"_

_"Steven," his mom said._

_That was all she needed to say. His mom was the sweetest person Steve had ever known, but she could turn into the She-Hulk when she got mad enough. Even his dad tended to cower when She-Hulk came around. So, with just a tight uttering of his name, she had him apologizing to his brat of a sister._

_Mary huffed at him and turned her head away. Steve didn't care. In fact, Steve was pretty content with her pathetic display of pettiness. Whenever Mary held a grudge, she usually stayed quiet for a couple of hours. _

_"So, Chin," his mom said, attempting to restore order to the dinner table as she cut into her steak, "what made you decide to become a cop?"_

_Steve put a spoon-full of his mom's delicious home-made potato salad in his mouth, savoring the flavors as he brought his attention to their dinner guest. He was curious about the person his dad spent most of his weekdays with. So far, Chin seemed rather timid for a cop. It almost made Steve worry for his dad's safety—more so than he already was, that is._

_"Well, two of my uncles are cops and I have eight cousins in law enforcement—well, twelve actually, but four of them are more 'law' than 'enforcement.' One of them is a judge."_

_"A judge?" his mom said, excited, "Who? Maybe I know him."_

_"_Her_, ma'am," Chin corrected with a gentle smirk, "Her name is Judge Hinako Ki."_

_"Oh, her name does sound familiar…. Jack, didn't one of your cases ended up with Judge Ki?"_

_"Yup," his dad said around a large bite of steak, "a couple of months ago. With Chin."_

_"That's right, that's right."_

_It was quiet then, save for the soft clattering of silverware making contact with plates. Knowing Mary all too well, Steve shifted his gaze to her._

Yup, she's going to start blabbing again.

_Steve couldn't have that. So, with the pure intention of keeping his sister from speaking, Steve blurted out the first thing that came to his sporadic mind._

_"I'm going to be a cop too, Chin."_

_Chin smiled at him. While it was rather odd that Chin came off so stoic while appearing amused, Steve found himself appreciating that quality of the young officer. Perhaps the timid behavior was just an act; fool the bad guy and then get him when he least expects it. Steve was starting to feel a little better about Chin being his dad's partner. Funny how one simple look could change a perception._

_"Oh, really?" Chin said._

_"Really. I'm going to be a cop just like my dad."_

_He could see his dad picking at the potato salad, his jaw stiff as if trying not to gag. Steve expected the reaction and almost felt guilty for what he had said, but with Mary being as annoying as she was, it couldn't be helped._

_"Then you're going to be the best cop in the department someday," Chin said, and Steve could tell that he meant it._

I like him_, the teenaged boy decided._

_*.*.*.*_

_He had been so furious. If he had the maturity that only experience could give him, Steve would have recognized how selfish and rude he was behaving. However, at that moment in time, he felt justified to shout and stomp. His mother was wronging him. Steve was never one to accept ill-will done to him, and he refused to let his mother be an exception._

_"But I've been waiting to buy a ticket for months!" Steve shouted, fists and lips curled._

_"I don't care," his mother growled, "You drove my car last night without a license and without _my permission_. You could have been killed!"_

_"I was fine!"_

_Of course he had been fine. Steve only took his mom's new car out to impress a girl. If he thought there was even a small chance of him possibly dying in front of said girl, he wouldn't have 'borrowed' the car. Dying was the most opposite thing he wanted to accomplish that night._

_"That's not the point, Steven."_

_"Then what is the point?"_

_"I've already—no, you know what, Steve? I'm done discussing this with you. You are not going to see _Silence of the Lambs_ with your friends tonight or _any other night_. You are going to your room NOW."_

_"No, I'm not."_

_"Yes, you are, Steven. Now! To your room!"_

_They had a glaring match then, one that Steve lost. As angry as he had been, his mother was in a hurry to pick up Mary from basketball practice. The She-Hulk in itself could be pretty scary, but get the She-Hulk in a hurry and she morphed into a whole different kind of terrifying._

_Sore that he lost the glaring match and even sorer that he lost the entire argument, Steve shouted the most awful thing in a desperate act of defiance. It would be one of his biggest regrets in his life. And, even worse than that, they would be the last words he ever said to his mom._

_"I HATE YOU!"_

_Not giving her a chance to respond, Steve hurried to his room and slammed the door, knowing she was pressed for time and had to leave. He punched the wall in his room several times. He didn't hear her close the front door; he didn't hear her walk down the porch's steps; he didn't hear her open the car door; and he certainly didn't hear her start the car. _

_*.*.*.*_

_It was about forty minutes later, maybe longer, when Steve heard the front door open. He thought it odd that his mom would come home so late, seeing as the middle school was only a few minutes away, but Steve assumed the girls took a quick shopping trip or something. Frankly, he wished she would be gone longer. He wasn't in any mood to talk to her, and he wasn't ready to hear her apology yet. Determined to keep true to this current attitude, Steve crossed his arms and glared at the door when he heard slow, heavy footsteps make their way up the stairs. He would not break this time. He was determined._

_That is, until his door open wide enough to reveal his dad. Steve was completely shocked to see him there. His glare and posture immediately lost their tension as he gaped at his father._

_"Dad? What are you doing here?"_

_The remnants of shock wearing off, Steve could sense that something was wrong. His dad was home a couple hours early; his posture was tipped forward, as if he would collapse at any second; and his red, puffy eyes weren't looking at Steve at all. His dad always looked at him, even when the news was bad._

_"Dad?"_

_His dad, his feet seeming like lead weights, walked over to Steve and forced him to sit on the twin bed behind him. It took his father a long time to sit down next to Steve. With the way he was acting, it was as if he feared every single bone in his body would break if he moved a fraction too fast._

_"Dad? Dad, say something. You're freaking me out."_

_Finally, his father met his gaze. And Steve knew something terrible had happened. So horrified by that revelation alone, he almost didn't notice it when his father clasped his strong hand on his bony shoulder._

_"Your mom was in an accident," his dad said, voice trembling so much it was almost a throaty whisper, "She…she didn't make it, son."_

_Steve couldn't breathe. He couldn't believe it. He could see and hear his father brokenness—something that terrified Steve, for he had never seen his father so much as tear up—but it wasn't registering. This…this couldn't be real. It was much too horrifying to be real. His mom was much too cautious and wonderful to…to be…no, no, no…she wasn't…no…but…._

_"She's dead?" Steve said, his voice astonishingly coherent._

_Steve saw a tear leave his dad's eye before the man enveloped him in his strong arms. Then reality came crashing down. Sandy McGarrett—Steven McGarrett's loving mother—was dead. And Steve sobbed. He sobbed and cried and nearly drowned into his father's shoulder. The agony was overwhelming. He nearly forgot about his hateful last words to her. He nearly forgot why he had been mad in the first place. Her loss created much too big a whole, and he barely had the brain capacity to remember that she had gone to pick up his sister._

_"Mary?" he asked his father._

_His dad hesitantly pulled away from him, revealing to Steve that he had been crying with him. He looked at Steve, the pain they both felt so vivid in his eyes, but he also looked confused._

_"Mary?" his dad repeated. Before Steve could explain, his father widened his eyes in realization, "Mary."_

_Steve had never seen his father move so fast. Steve almost tripped in trying to keep up with the older man as he sprinted for the door. It was only when he reached the door did he think about his son and turned to get him, only to bump into him instead._

_It was clear that neither of them wanted Steve to be alone._

_The car ride had been unbearable. The entire time, when Steve wasn't obsessing about the fact that his mother had died in a vehicle similar to the one he was currently sitting in, he was obsessing about his hideous last words to her. Those words were the last things she heard from him. And they were merely said out of childish anger, not truth. The truth was he loved his mom so much. She was the best mom ever. He wasn't ready to lose her. He needed her._

_When they got to the school, he saw Mary standing there. She was obviously irritated, tapping her foot like a spoiled drama queen. Steve had his eyes glued on her in that moment because he knew his baby sister would never be like that again. She would never be a carefree child again._

_As Steve watched his dad get out of the car and approach his daughter, Steve felt tears run down his cheeks; for his mom, his sister, his dad, and even himself._

_*.*.*.*_

_"I'm sure she's just trying to protect you—you know, in her own freaky way." Steve said._

_He heard Mary snort._

"Please, she's not trying to protect me; she's trying to dictate me. She's Hitler."

_"Mary, that's a little harsh, don't you think?"_

"Not harsh enough."

_Steve refrained from sighing. Mary had always been one to exaggerate a story here or there to receive more attention. However, with the recent tragic losses of both their parents—their mother to death and their father to some type of grieving insanity—Steve was no longer sure when Mary was stretching the truth and when she was being completely honest. So, to be on the safe side, Steve was always patient and sensitive to her when they had their daily phone calls. It was the only way he could take care of her, after all. He wouldn't do to Mary what he did to his mother._

_Though he had overheard his father tell Trevor that his mother had been murdered, Steve grew more and more convinced that that conclusion was false. What motive did anyone have to kill her? She was so kind and charming. Besides, his father had been a cop for a good many years. Steve could only imagine the horrible things that man had to witness. It made sense that, in the wake of such agony, his first suspicions would be of murder. It was a cop's nature to think like that, or so Steve assumed. Basically, his father was going crazy with grief. That was why he was chasing mysterious murderers and that was why he sent his children away to two different sets of relatives. That had to be it. Steve, still young and overwhelmed with his own grief, could not accept any other explanation than that. However, by not accepting the "murderer" theory, he was inclined to come up with his own theory; the theory that, because he had caused an argument that probably distracted his mother while she drove, he was the main cause of her death. It made sleep impossible. It made eating impossible too, though he forced fed himself so that his hosts wouldn't worry too much (they were really nice people. He wished Mary were here with him. She would be so much happier with Cousin Eric and Cousin Wendy)._

"Steve? Are you there?"

_"Yeah, yeah, sorry," Steve said, rubbing the tears from his eyes, "What did you say?"_

"Just that I hate dad."

_This time, Steve did sigh. He had explained to her multiple times that their father was having a difficult coping in sane ways, so he had to do insane things. However, as this brought comfort to Steve, it just seemed to make Mary more upset._

_"Well…you're entitled too. Just…don't hate him forever okay? He'll be back to normal someday. I'm sure of it."_

"I wish I was. I really do."

_*.*.*.*_

_It had been a long, hard few months. He had actually been assigned to see a shrink, something he did not look forward to. As Steve entered his apartment, he tried not to think about the previous mission; he tried not to think about anything. He just needed some distraction to rid his mind of unwanted memories. Then he would be okay. _

_Instinctively his eyes roamed over to his messaging machine and he tossed his keys next to it. As usual when he returned home from a long mission, the red light blinked at him in welcome. It was a small light, easy to overlook, but whenever Steve found it his tension eased, if only fractionally. He wasn't sure why. _

Maybe the shrink will tell me.

_He smirked at the thought before playing his messages. Again, they were the usual, _"Hey, Steve, I was wondering if you wanted to go to this new restaurant" _and _"Haven't heard from you in a while, Steven. How's it going?" _He let the voices take up space in his overactive mind as he took large sips of his favorite beer._

"Hey, Steve."

_In mid-sip, Steve tensed._

"It's your father. Look, son, I just called to, um…to tell you…uh...I really wished you picked up the phone…but I can't blame you…."

_Steve shifted uncomfortably at that. He couldn't listen to this right now, but his curiosity and his concern overrode his present needs. He hadn't spoken to his father in a long time, but he still knew the man well enough to know his tone. Something was really wrong._

"Please know that everything I did, I did to protect you. Maybe…maybe prematurely—maybe in the wrong way—I don't know anymore…. Look…. Listen to me, Champ…your mother's accident wasn't an accident…she was…she was hurt by someone intentionally."

_Steve took in a pained breath. He wasn't surprised by his father's murder theory—a theory he still believed was inaccurate—but he was surprised, and honestly frightened, that his father was admitting it to him. What did that mean? And what was with the "Champ?" His father had never once called him that before._

"It's been so many years. I gave up after a while, but now…I've found answers, Steve. Here. _Here_, Champ. I found them. I found her killer. You can—_We _can finally get justice for her. Please, call me back, Steve. Please. I know this is so hard, but I only did it to prot—"

_The machine cut him off, clicking and sorting before playing the next message. Steve remained motionless by his fridge, his beer half-full in his hand. According to the machine, his father had sent him that message over a week ago. Steve was a little worried that the older man had finally lost the last remnants of his mind. He hoped he hadn't acted on his "answers." And he seriously hoped that "Champ" business wasn't anything to be concerned about. Steve wasn't sure what to think, but he knew he had to call his father. _

_And he was going to do that…until his last message played._

"Mr. McGarrett? My name is Detective Maila Wong. I'm sorry to inform you that your father passed away last night. Please, contact me for more details. I am terribly sorry for your loss, Mr. McGarrett. My number is—"

_She recited her number to him then, but Steve didn't hear it. All he heard was the sharp noises of protest his beer bottle made as it fell upon the kitchen floor._

_*.*.*.*_

_It turned out by "passed away" Detective Wong meant "murdered." After adamantly refusing to go to Hawaii (for reasons he still didn't understand), she explained to him over the phone what had occurred. A burglar had broken into the house the previous night, he and his father duked it out, and the burglar won before escaping with his father's wallet and watch. Already something felt wrong with the story, but Steve forced his instincts quiet as he said goodbye to Detective Wong, who promised to bring his father's killer to justice. Her promise hurt him more than helped him, but of course she wouldn't know that. He never told her about the message he received from his father just a week prior. And he wasn't going to. Steve was being foolish, he knew, but he got the impression that the message was specifically for his ears only. Even considering turning the message over to the police as evidence felt like betrayal. Plus, there was something suspicious about this entire scenario that Steve couldn't quite grasp. He hadn't made the conscious decision to pursue this case personally; he was too busy trying not to admit to himself that he was even think about it. As a teenager, he assessed that his father lost his mind. If he pursued this case and admitted that he was wrong, that his father was sane, then that meant…too many things for him to process at the moment._

_It was several minutes later when Steve realized he should call Mary._

_"You're not going to the funeral?"_

"Don't be so judgmental, Steve. I didn't hear you say you were going."

_"I just told you our father died."_

"Good riddance."

_Rage boiled within Steve's heart and he felt fury build up behind his watery eyes._

_"Mary!"_

"I'm not going to pretend to miss that jackass!" Mary shouted, the hints of a sob accenting her voice, "I'm not! He abandoned us! I'm NOT! Don't you dare judge me, Steve!"

_Steve rubbed his face with his hand before pinching the bridge of his nose. He was angry and upset; so was Mary. And that was all understandable. He had to breathe and clear his head. He had to be the stronger one here._

"I'm sorry, Steve." Mary said.

_Steve sighed. She gave him no other chance to make a sound as she hung up._

_*.*.*.*_

_Protecting the Ambassador had been simple enough. It was all routine and, so far, nothing threatening had happened. Steve didn't like the feeling of wasted time, but he stuck with his job mainly because once he started something, he finished it. That and, truthfully, he didn't feel comfortable leaving Hawaii just yet. Funny, he had dreaded coming back to the island, but now he dreaded the thought of leaving it yet again._

_Steve wasn't a fool. He knew that he was probably seeking closure and was just too prideful to admit to himself. He had never decided if his father was crazy or not and he never pursued his case. Detective Wong said she had found the burglar and he would be doing time for the rest of his life. Steve, without fully acknowledging it, rested on that. He just couldn't seem to think clearly, let alone at all, when it came to his family._

_A couple weeks into the assignment, he learned they would be flying to Japan to continue the international legal matters there. Steve's heart sank, but he was obliged to obey and obey he would. That is, until Nick Taylor called him._

"A little birdie told me you went back home."

Steve squinted his eyes, but he couldn't stop the smile that pressed his cheek deeper into the phone.

_"Nick? Nick Taylor? Is that you?"_

_Nick laughed._

"I could never get one passed you. How ya been, Steve?"

_"Good, good. Are you here?"_

"On the island? Yeah. Listen, I got some information for you about your mission."

_"It's not an official mission. How do you know about that anyway? I thought you took honorable discharge?"_

"Nah. I went with the early retirement instead. Figured it would be easier for me to come back if I wanted to."

_"You were always one to play it safe. What's the intel?"_

"Not over the phone. Look, I know this vague and sudden, considering I haven't spoken to you in…years. Wow."

_"I trust you, Nick. Where do you want to meet?"_

"Out in the ocean."

_"…"_

"I'll text you the directions to the motorboat and then to the yacht I'm staying on."

_"You own a yacht?"_

_Nick laughed again._

"Life's been…interesting since I left. I'll tell you more about it when you get here. And wait until tomorrow morning."

_Steve frowned. He was flying to Japan tomorrow morning._

_"Tomorrow morning? Can you make it sooner?"_

"I wished I could, buddy. I know you're supposed to be going to Japan tomorrow, but…you're just going to have to trust me. I've been followed and attacked—"

_"Attacked? By who? Nick, what's going on?"_

"I'll tell you when you get here. Just trust me."

_"I told you I trusted you, Nick. You alright? You sound jumpy."_

"I feel jumpy…. I'll see you tomorrow, Steve."

_"Yeah. See ya."_

_And then they both ended the call. Several seconds later, Steve received the text message that would guide him to Nick tomorrow morning. He sighed, knowing that the bodyguards, let alone the Ambassador himself, weren't going to like this. But this could be rather significant in regards to the Ambassador's safety. Nick wouldn't make this kind of thing up. Even if Steve hadn't known the former SEAL, the redhead's tone was enough to draw concern and curiosity. Steve couldn't just leave this alone._

_*.*.*.*_

_The sunlight seemed brighter than usual that morning. The sky was void of clouds and the wind was weak and wispy. The air was thick with moisture though, feeling heavy in Steve's strong lungs. The dock where Nick instructed him to go, located by a dying warehouse that needed to be torn down, was surrounded by even thicker air. Despite the warm weather, there was coolness by the dock and the warm ocean water. It was soothing, in a complex way._

_Operating the boat was second nature to him. Freeing the small water vehicle from the dock, Steve sped out of there in a matter of seconds. The wind was stronger now, whipping his face with angry strikes. He smiled against it though, for it brought the familiar scents of the Hawaiian water. Steve hadn't realized he missed it so much._

_When Nick said yacht, he hadn't been kidding. Steve was surprised at how massive the thing was. He wanted to gape at it a few seconds more, but upon seeing Nick waving at him from the bow, Steve tore his eyes away from the gleaming metal and waved back. He watched Nick and obeyed the signals, bringing his boat to the appropriate side of the yacht. After Nick helped him secure the boat to the massive metal beast, Steve climbed up the nearby ladder and hugged his old friend._

_"It's good to see you," Steve greeted, releasing the redhead after two pats to the back._

_"I wished it was under better circumstances." Taylor said._

_"What's the intel?"_

_Taylor made a funny face then. If Steve had more time to decipher it, he may have recognized the twinge of guilt hidden deep in Taylor's angry eyes. Instead, he was distracted by the slightest movement to his right—to where the gleaming white stairwell traveled up to the yacht's higher deck. Adrenaline kicked in and instinctive took over, moving Steve to tackle Taylor to the ground as a gun went off. Hurriedly, he yanked Taylor to his feet and the two ran for cover, dodging the bullets flying their way as they hid behind the gunman's blind spot. Always prepared, Steve took out his own gun and fired a couple warning shots in the direction of their shooter. Judging by the way the assailant's shadow cowered back, Steve assessed that his message was received. He glanced back at Nick, startled to see that he was no longer by Steve's side. He leant back to see if Nick was farther down the deck, but he wasn't there. He returned his focus to the gunfight, daring to peek over the edge. His eyes widen when he made eye contact with none other than Victor Hess. Then he quickly coiled back behind the wall as bullets came flying in his direction. Steve timed it out then, expecting Taylor to pop out at any moment, and played out the time and his own gunfire until he knew Hess had to reload. Steve took advantage of that moment, and in a matter of seconds he was on top of Hess. A quick, painful twist of Hess's arm had him dropping the gun. Once Steve pinned Hess to the wall, pushing him against the painful corner, Steve called out for Nick._

_"Nick? Nick?"_

_"Yeah, call your friend," Hess said snidely._

_Steve shoved his face closer to the corner, silencing him._

_"Nick?"_

_"Steve."_

_Steve turned, relieved to hear Nick's voice. His relief quickly evaporated when Nick smacked his head with a blunt object. Steve crumpled, losing grip on his gun, but recovered enough to throw Hess's head against the wall and kicked Taylor in the abdomen. Releasing Hess, Steve turned in time to catch Taylor's last minute weapon. Gripping the weapon in one hand, he bawled his other hand into a fist and punched Taylor's gut. Taylor retaliated with his own fist and Steve kicked the other man's ankle in response. His ankle stayed sturdy in place._

_Their fight tangoed its way closer to the stern. Steve remained focus on the mission at hand, more worried about a semi-conscious Hess in the background than hurt by Taylor's betrayal. He didn't have time to feel hurt. However, something akin to hurt—softer than hurt—penetrated his thought process. It was just enough of a distraction for him to miss one fraction of a movement of Taylor's leg. In a matter of seconds, Taylor had him flying towards the boat's side where his head made agonizing contact with the sharp edge of the boat's half-wall. Steve groaned, disorientation compromising his vision and motor skills. He prepared his body for Taylor's assaults, but they never came. Raising his head, Steve tried to look pass the throbbing pain behind his eyes and at the threats. His vision cleared just long enough to see Taylor grabbing one of the guns abandoned at Hess's feet. With one last ounce of muddled strength, Steve threw himself over the side. In his jumbled brain, he hadn't fully comprehended the sharp rotor slicing the water below until his chest made contact with it. It threw him against the boat, knocking him out and sending him off towards a current._


	19. Chapter 19

**Thank you, Francis2. :) You, my friend, have helped me save face with a number of my chapters. I thank you again. :) You've been great. And also, thanks to those who story-favorited, story-alerted, etc.**

Kono paced, already forgetting her annoyance towards Danny for doing the exact same thing earlier that day. One of the officers tried to settle her nerves, but backed off when she snarled obscenities at him. She should have gone after Chin. He had been so vague, so urgent, and now she was left wondering what was happening to him. As if enough hadn't happened already. Was someone after him? Was that why he shoved her aside and hurried off? Was the potential murderer in the hospital?

_I should have followed him. He's going to get hurt._

If this was how Chin felt when she did something dangerous, Kono could understand why he scolded at her times. If he were with her now, she would strangle him. Kono didn't care that he was the older cousin, that he was a brother when she needed one or a father when she needed one, she was going to strangle that man for making her worry so much.

"Kono?"

Kono turned. Nick approached her, a look of confusion, worry, and something else wrinkling his face.

"Is everything okay?" he asked her, touching her arm, "Did something happen to Mary?"

Kono still couldn't see what Chin and Danny found so dangerous about the redhead. However, with her stressed nerves demanding blood, and her cousin's panicked warning about Nick, Kono was tempted to scratch the SEAL's eyes out. He clearly had something to do with Chin's disturbing behavior and disappearance. With this in mind, Kono managed to restrain herself from doing anything violent by backing away from Nick's touch.

"Kono?"

Kono simply stared for a few seconds. If Nick did have something to do with the attacks on Mary and Steve, she shouldn't let him feel as if he had been discovered. Kono let out a frustrated breath, her heart twisting uncomfortably as she swallowed down her worry and anger and smiled at him.

"Everything's okay." She said, "Mary's fine. I'm just…I got into another huge fight with Chin…about you."

Well, it was almost the truth.

"About me?"

"Yeah…. He thinks you were hitting on me and…well, he's a bit too overprotective sometimes."

Nick stared at her. For a few awful seconds, Kono thought for sure he wasn't buying the story. Already, her mind came up with a plan in case he attacked her—jump back, kick out, grab an officer's gun—then he smiled. It was an odd smile; not sincere, but not strained. It was just there, similar to a smile you give when you know someone is taking your picture.

"I guess I understand. My SEAL background makes me sound more violent than I really am."

Kono nodded, watching as Taylor leant back against the counter and stared at the floor. He was stressed. His thoughts were becoming more opaque in his stoic face, calculating indecipherable calculations. Kono wasn't sure what to make of it, but she found that she didn't like it.

*.*.*.*

There was a presence nearby. That was the first thing he was aware of. As consciousness became more palpable, so did Steve's senses. He could feel the soft, scratchy cotton beneath his finger tips and around his hands. His shoes were off, but his socks were still on. Something was inside his arm, something smal. There was a beeping noise in the background, increasing in speed and volume as the seconds ticked by. And a soft click of a door being shut echoed across the small room.

The unidentified presence was almost silent, but made subtle noises as it approached Steve. He knew the stranger was by his bedside before he felt a hand grab his arm. It wasn't until he felt something being tied around his bicep did Steve decide to end his sleeping charade. A swift punch to the man's nose had him falling backwards, and forceful pressure on two very important arteries in his neck had the man losing consciousness. A small clattering sound that went ignored earlier brought Steve's attention to a syringe filled with nothing but air, the needle sticking out of it gleaming with silent death threats. Steve returned his attention to the unconscious man, studying his facial features for future reference. The police uniform he wore set off warning bells in Steve's mind and he kept them ringing as he quickly searched the room for his shoes. Finding them, he quickly slipped them on his feet and tied the laces. Blood was dripping down from his arm where the IV cord was yanked from it, but he simply wiped it off with his shirt an hurried out of the room. He knew the very loud, very distinct _BEEEEEEEP_ of the heart monitor would bring hospital staff into the room in seconds. Regardless, Steve left the room, knowing that there was somewhere important he had to be. Somewhere…

His breathing controlled and no immediate threats disturbing him, Steve let the memories return to him.

_Taylor and Hess attacked me, I'm in a hospital…_

There was more. What was it? Something important…

_"You're a navy SEAL?"_

_"They only let family visit patients in the ICU. I'm not even supposed to be here."_

_"We were cops."_

_"And what decent human being attacks someone out of the blue like that?"_

_"You said 'champ' over and over again."_

_"Don't worry. It'll come to you eventually."_

_"Look…the truth is…we haven't spoken in a long time, and it is my fault."_

_"He has something—a life, a personality, a family, friends—I have _nothing_."_

_"They want to talk to you some more so that they can officially report your injuries as accidental."_

_"And what, pray tell, is so funny?"_

_"We'll figure everything out."_

_"We found a lethal amount of arsenic in her system."_

_"Steve, you with us, buddy? What happened?"_

_"…efore…ng sn…eep…b…."_

"Sir, is everything alright?"

Steve's eyes snapped to the nurse in front of him.

"No. A police officer—possibly an imposter—tried to inject a lethal amount of air into my veins."

"What?"

"I knocked him out. He's in room 307. Get the police down here as fast as you can."

As he said the last part, both Steve and the nurse were running down the same hallway. She was typing something into her pager while Steve focused his mind and body on reaching his target-location. He was quite a bit faster than the nurse and didn't spare any courtesy by slowing down. He needed to get to his sister's room. He needed to be there _now_.

When he turned the corner, Steve could see a large group of uniforms. Good. The nurse could lead them back to—

Blue eyes—familiar, treacherous blue eyes widened at his approach. Steve stared into those eyes a second too long, revealing too much. Before his brain could tell him to change course, his body was already doing so, turning and heading for, none other than, Nick Taylor. Kono's image was in the corner of his eye, but before he could comprehend how to get her out of danger, Taylor grabbed her. Kono had grabbed the counter and kicked out in an attempt to escape, but it was useless. Taylor already had one hand around her throat, pressing down on those vital arteries Steve knew too much about, and he had his other arm wrapped around her middle.

While Steve wished he had a gun on him, he knew it would be unnecessary as the herd of police officers trained their weapons on the redhead.

"Hey!" one of the officers in front called out, "Hands in the air! Let her go and put your hands in the air! NOW!"

Taylor grimaced at his opponents, but quickly replaced his doubtful expression with something more sinister. He hid his massive body behind Kono, squeezing her neck and making her wheeze.

"Let her go, Taylor," Steve ordered, anxiety trembling his veins when he realized Taylor was going to try to back away from the situation. He didn't doubt the police officers would take Taylor down—he was extremely outnumbered and unarmed—but he feared that Kono would, undoubtedly, get caught in the crossfire, "It's over!"

"No, no, no," Taylor whispered, more to himself it seemed than to anyone else.

He backed away a step, Kono digging her heels into the tile in an attempt to slow him down. The cops took a step forward, shouting so loudly and ferociously it was becoming impossible to understand what they were saying.

"Back off!" Taylor shouted, squeezing Kono's throat tighter yet.

_She can't breathe_, Steve realized, seeing her eyes widen with panic and her hands clawing at the hand around her neck.

Shots went off and screams pierced the air. Most of the bullets missed Taylor, who had dodged by hiding further into Kono's back, but one bullet managed to graze his leg.

"Back off!" He shouted.

Then another shot went off in the distance. It was enough to make Taylor jump and look back. His attention distracted, an officer took his two second-advantage and fired. The bullet entered Taylor's head at an angle, killing him instantly. His body went slack and crumpled against Kono before tumbling to the floor. Upon being released she gasped, coughing as if she was choking on air. Steve bypassed a couple of officers and ran to Kono.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, observing the red coloring on her throat fade.

Still coughing, Kono nodded, gripping Steve's shoulder to keep herself standing.

"You remember," she eventually wheezed out, a small smile gracing her lips.

Steve could have shook his head at her—of all the things she could have said at a time like that—but found he couldn't stop himself from grinning back at her.

"I remember."

In the background, he saw the nurse he had spoken with earlier talking to an officer and pointing in his direction.

"Where's Chin?" Kono asked after another coughing fit passed.

Steve felt himself bristle.

"You don't know where he is?"

"No," Kono said, her tone thick with fear, "He just ran off, telling me that Danny was in trouble."

"Danny's in trouble?"

"I don't know. He wasn't telling me anything, Steve. And I don't know where he is or what's going on—"

Tears gathered on the bottom rims of her eyelids as a silent sob choked her silent. Steve's heart squeezed at the sight, never seeing this incredibly strong and talented woman so vulnerable before. Plus, with his ignorance on Danny's and Chin's locations, he felt his own fear chilling his blood and stabbing pain into his chest. He placed a hand on her shoulder, his brain working fast to comprehend the present circumstances, but she pushed the hand off of her.

"We need to get them. Now."

"We? Kono—"

"Adachi!"

Steve turned at the shout. Adachi—a brief memory of him reminding Steve who he was—stumbled out into the hallway, gripping the bumpy walls as he slid to the floor. His face was pale and worn, and his eyelids were behaving like heavy weights rather than light curtains. Adachi gasped.

"Attacker—dead. Victim's room. Go, go, go…."

He seemed drowsy—drugged, but Steve overlooked the young officer's condition upon hearing his words.

"Mary," Steve said, sprinting towards his sister's room, too worried and too distracted to feel annoyance when Kono followed him.

*.*.*.*

"_Nick Taylor_. Red hair, blue eyes, broad-shouldered—radio Adachi, he saw him."

Neither Wakata nor Kaaua paid him any mind. Chin was so frustrated he wanted to tear through the caged wall that stood between him and the front seats. He was tempted to try. Instead, he resigned to leaning back against the plastic seat, his cuffs rattling at the movement.

The police car was silent then, with the exception of the soft growl emitting from the engine. However, Wakata and Kaaua could be screaming and Chin wouldn't bat an eye, so lost in thought.

He failed _again_. No, that couldn't be true. This couldn't be it. Too much was riding on him being at the hospital—being there for his friends. He had been so determined. How could he have failed again? How could he have let this happen? Sick dread clawed at his stomach. Chin wasn't giving up, but he couldn't find a way around this obstacle. He was trapped here, far away from his ohana, and it was making him nauseous.

"Please," Chin begged for the umpteenth time, "please, just look into it. For the victims' sake."

Kaaua glanced over at Wakata. After a tense moment of internal debate, Kaaua picked up the radio.

"This is Officer Kaaua."

Chin smiled his relief.

*.*.*.*

Something hit the back of his head and Danny groaned.

_Wha? What happened?_

It took him a few long moments to open his eyes, and it took him a few moments more to realize that his eyes were, indeed, open. It was just dark. Danny could make out shapes and textures, but the darkness laid over his cramped surroundings like a wool blanket. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Glancing around, Danny tried to raise his body to get a better view, but ended up hitting his head against the roof. He fell back down on his side, groaning.

_My face—OW, ow, my face._

The friction his face made with the scratchy material beneath him made his cheek burn. Danny turned his head, removing his cheek from the awful surface. He brought his hand up to assess the damage to his face by touch, only to discover that his hands were duck taped together.

_What?_

Then it suddenly clicked.

_I'm in the trunk of a car. I've been kidnapped! Great, just great._

Then he remembered the imposter cop in Steve's room, the fight, and then the Taser to the face.

_I'm going to kill him. Forget the justice system—I am going to KILL him. Thinks he can Taser someone in the face and stuff them in the trunk of a car—what is WRONG with people?_

The car having hit a pothole, the trunk bounced and Danny hit his head again. Cursing angrily, he kicked at the car in frustration.

_Okay, breathe, breathe. Don't waste your strength. Come on, you're trained for this. You know what to do._

Scooting his body so he was no longer parallel with the backend of the car, Danny positioned his foot over the taillight. Then, with hearty strength, he kicked at the taillight until it popped out. Scooting over again, Danny managed to twist his body and angle his face so that he could look outside.

_No witnesses. Fantastic._

There were a lot of trees and brush—a very luscious area. There wasn't a single drop of asphalt anywhere. The car was driving on a dirt road, kicking up clouds of dust in its wake. There were a lot of flowers in the tropical forest, accenting the vegetation like colorful freckles. It was all very pretty, but Danny stared at it with disdain. What really bothered him though was not all the greenery, but the ocean that roared over the cliff besides them. Danny _hated_ the ocean, and the thought of having his body thrown into sea to discard evidence was making him sick with fury.

And, maybe, with a little fear, too.


	20. Chapter 20

**I am so sorry that this chapter is so agonizingly short (pretty sure it is the shortest chapter in this story), but I procrastinated way too much on writing this and then some personal stuff came up recently that grabbed my attention. Everything's okay now, but I'm afraid you guys are stuck with a super short chapter this week. :( Sorry again.**

**Thanks for the reviews, story-favorites, story-alerts, overall support, etc. You guys have been really great. :) I'm sorry again, again.**

Steve's eyes landed on the bloody corpse for a brief moment, but he didn't falter a step as he hurried over to his sister. Instinct taught by his mother had him placing a hand on Mary's forehead. Instinct taught by the Navy had him opening one of her eyes and checking for anything unusual. The steady rhythm of the heart monitor in the background was the last thing Steve checked, and it brought him a sense of relief his own medical evaluation couldn't seem to.

"She okay?" Kono asked.

Even though the _immediate_ threat of death was not yet existent, the heavy possibility of it sunk down into Steve's shoulders. He stared down at the ashen, thin face, shocked that it belonged to his little sister. He had seen Mary before in this ill state when he had first visited her in this room—when his memory hadn't been up to par—but now Steve almost felt like this was the first time he had seen his sister in years; and she never looked more dreadful. It was making him sick.

"Steve?"

Steve shook his head to himself, processing Kono's earlier question for the fourth time.

"She's no worse off than she was before," Steve said, forcing a calming breath out of his lungs.

Remembering the corpse, Steve turned and walked over to it. A couple of officers stood guard in the room, waiting for the coroner's arrival, but Steve ignored their presences and took mental inventory of the body.

_Officer's Uniform—either an imposter or a dirty cop. Scar above his right eye. Tan skin. Bullet wound to the chest—most likely the cause of death._

Steve bent down and searched the body, his hands moving with swift efficiency. The officers had a problem with that and tried to step in, but by the time their hands reached his shoulders Steve already had what he wanted.

"Hey! That's evidence!" one of the officers said, trying to grab the cell phone from Steve's hand.

Steve, being taller than both officers, managed to keep the phone out of reach as he checked the call histories.

"Guys," Kono said, sounding uncertain of her voice, "Guys!"

Steve tossed the phone in the air, getting one of the officers to dive for and catch the device before it crashed to the ground. The other officer was then left to lecture Steve about tampering a crime scene, but Steve paid little attention as he pushed passed her and rushed out the door.

"Steve?" Kono said. Steve could hear her footsteps as vividly as he could hear her heavy breath, "Steve! Where are you going? Steve!"

"I'm going to check the other guy's phone." He answered.

He wasn't particularly fond of the idea of bringing Kono to further danger, but Steve couldn't ignore the fact that he needed more available allies than he had. Besides, she was a rather capable young woman. Her skills could be useful for whatever plan he would concoct up later, and he couldn't afford to waste useful skills now.

"The other guy?" she asked, keeping pace with him by his side.

"Same uniform and same threat. He attacked me in my room."

"What?"

"Dead guy's phone had only two numbers call it. I'm betting the same two numbers are in the other guy's phone, too."

"Steve, I don't understand."

"I left the other guy alive," Steve said, impatience biting his tone. He had no time to doubt his temporary partnership with Kono, but he had no time for lengthy explanations either, "If I can just get a few minutes alone with him, I can get him to tell me where Danny and Chin are."

"And who he's working for."

"Right."

It was a fine and dandy plan, however, it was rather shortsighted on Steve's part. It wasn't until they were walking down the hallway to his old room did he realize his error. He cursed, startling Kono.

"What? What is it?"

"The cops already took him into custody," Steve said before he sprinted down the hallway, searching for an exit.

*.*.*.*

It had been a long time since Chin stood in front of the Police Department. The sight of the building brought a memorable ache, but he ignored it to focus on more important matters. When his door opened, Chin stepped out accordingly, sticking out his wrists expectantly.

The death of Nick Taylor and the arrest of Chin's attacker had been reported to Kaaua and Wakata via their radios. Chin, relieved that Steve and Mary were safer than they were before, overlooked his bitterness and mentally prepared for the next course of action.

The sun beamed down on them, and the handcuffs reflected its light hatefully towards those who stared upon it. With a quick twist of a key, Kaaua removed the cuffs, glaring against the harsh reflecting light that zipped by his eyes. Both Kaaua's and Wakata's faces seemed tinted with embarrassment as they awkwardly apologized for the misunderstanding. Chin didn't care about their apologies though. He didn't want them anymore.

"You need to listen to me," Chin said, the past experience emphasizing his words in ways a tone never could, "Danny Williams—the man who used to be your friend—is in danger. I heard Taylor order one of his guys to kill him."

Wakata and Kaaua glanced at each other, looking skeptical.

"What? You're still not going to believe me?" Chin asked, frustration seeping into anger as he spoke.

"We believe you," Kaaua said, even though Wakata looked uncomfortable at the confession, "We'll tell Detective Banachek when he gets here."

Chin relaxed. With his attacker being brought to the station and with Banachek being the interrogator, he felt a little more assured that they would find Danny.

"Is my cousin—"

"Everyone is fine," Kaaua said, nodding his head in understanding.

Chin nodded back, but a knot still twisted in his stomach. He wanted nothing more than to return to the hospital where he could more readily protect his cousin and the McGarretts. However, Danny's disappearance had him choosing to remain where he stood. He got Banachek to listen to him before, and now it seemed that Kaaua and Wakata were finally listening, so maybe he could get people to listen to him again. Maybe he could get them in the right direction faster.

*.*.*.*

When the car stopped, Danny was still struggling to get the duct tape off of his wrists. He was more than annoyed that he had made little progress on freeing his hands, giving up the attempt entirely when he heard a car door slam shut. The next ten seconds were brutal. Danny was never a fan of waiting; never had the patience. Hearing each step scrape against the dirt added an edginess to Danny's already overwhelming emotions. It was even worse when the footsteps stopped altogether in front of the trunk because the former detective knew his attacker was noticing the missing taillight. Then the trunk finally popped open.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty."

Danny glared, his sensitive eyes not having made out the blurred figure before him.

"We're going to go for a little walk."

As his attacker said that, Danny was being yanked out of the car. The former detective cursed, shaking the hands off his sore body. He turned to glare at the man, but found himself widening his eyes at him instead.

"Who are you?" the blonde asked, his throat scratchy.

The man smirked. He looked familiar, but Danny couldn't come up with a name. He certainly wasn't the same guy that tazed him in the face.

"Trust me, boyo," the man said, his accent thickening around the nickname. He shoved Danny forward, away from the car, "that's the least of your concerns. Now, keep moving."


	21. Chapter 21

**Thanks you guys for being so nice. :) And thanks for the reviews, story-alerts, story-favorites, etc. This chapter is my usual 4-5 pages, so not super short. :)**

As determined and unfazed as Steve was, Kono didn't have time to reflect on her discomfort as the two of them hurried up the stairs. She wasn't really sure what Steve's plan was. Barging into the police station and demanding to be let in on a case didn't sound quite right, but the way Steve shoved open the Department's door, Kono couldn't deny the possibility. Following right behind him, Kono became defensive. With the vast majority of cops overwhelming them—not to mention the few perps handcuffed to the benches—she feared they would be directed out at any moment. Then she saw Chin, standing by one of the back walls, and a whole new set of fears froze her frame.

"Chin?"

His head snapped up and, after a second, his eyes filled with relief. He was quick to make his way over to them, but Kono was quicker in meeting him halfway. She ran into him and hugged him in a tight embrace. Grunting on impact, Chin didn't hesitate to hug back.

"You okay?" Chin asked and she nodded, not trusting her voice enough to give a vocal answer.

"Chin," Steve said, his own relief pouring out in the name. Chin pulled away from her and Kono released him, feeling an overwhelming wave of questions crash down on her head, "Are you alright? What happened?"

After a few seconds of staring at Steve, Chin smiled.

"You remember."

Kono smiled too, the sense of déjà vu amusing her greatly.

Steve rolled his eyes.

"Chin, what happened?" Steve asked again.

"I overheard Nick Taylor—he was—"

"I know who he was. Continue."

Chin stared at him a moment. Kono found herself doing the same, curious as how to Steve knew the redhead in the first place. Was he always Steve's enemy? Sympathetic dread sunk down into her stomach.

"I overheard him tell someone to deal with Danny," Chin continued. His face stiffened into worry at the mention of Danny's name. "I ran to your room—because that's where he had gone—or, at least, that's where he said he was going to go—but I got attacked by a fake cop. They brought me here under the charge of assaulting an officer," Kono felt her heart quicken in beat as swift rage grew within her. Before the murderous thoughts could form in her mind, Chin was quick to cease any anger by quickly adding, "but when they arrested the guy who attacked me, all charges were dropped."

"Why'd you stay then?" Kono asked, a little guilty when some of her previous anger radiated off her words.

"Banachek is interrogating the fake cop now. I wanted to stay in case they found out anything about Danny."

"Have they?" Steve asked.

Chin, a grim look on his face, shook his head.

"How long has Banachek been interrogating him?"

"A few minutes, give or take." Chin said.

Impatience contorted Steve's face and stiffened his shoulders. For a second, Kono thought he was going to sprint off again, but he merely walked in a quick, stressed circle before going still once more. Kono glanced over at Chin, hoping to get some guidance in this situation, but he kept his eyes on Steve. Then, as quickly as he left, Steve came back to them, determination shining in his eyes.

"Where's the interrogation room?"

*.*.*.*

Banachek didn't mind waiting. He had dealt with guys like this before; so afraid to talk that they twisted their faces into stoic contempt and said nothing. They were already running their fake cop's DNA in multiple databases. Once they had the DNA, Banachek could use it against him and get closer to answers. For now, all he had to do was wait. Making the fake cop edgy while he waited would be a bonus.

"I know you've been in prison before," Banachek said, leaning back in his cushioned chair.

The fake cop, sitting in a stiffer chair on the other side of the table, glanced up at him.

"It's obvious. I can tell just by the way you're sitting."

The dim light above their heads shuttered, making the fake cop's stony expression appear more as a hateful scowl. Banachek didn't flinch under the light's tricks.

"I can also tell that you won't be able to handle hard time—not _real_ hard time. A county jail? Sure. A maximum security prison though?"

Banachek shook his head.

"I almost pity you."

As expected, the fake cop gave no reaction. Underneath the apathetic veil, Banachek could see the tiniest bit of fear. It made him smirk.

Two knocks on the metal door had Banachek's smirk disappearing. Two knocks meant come out, but there is no urgency in the situation. Curious, and seeing an opportunity to get the fake cop to churn in anxiety, Banachek smirked again and calmly exited the interrogation room. As he shut the door behind him, he prepared himself for whatever information would be brought to him. He was startled to see their victim, Steve McGarrett, standing smugly besides one of his officers.

"What is it?" Banachek asked.

"Chief said to let McGarrett interrogate our perp."

"_What_? On what grounds?"

The female officer shrugged, shaking her head.

"He didn't specify. He just said give McGarrett three minutes."

"Three minutes?" Banachek repeated, finally acknowledging the SEAL's presence by looking at him, "You know you can't do any crazy military stuff in there, right? This is America. We have rules here."

"I'm aware of my country's rules, Detective," McGarrett said, his tone as condescending as his posture, "And, I assure you, I don't need to do any crazy military stuff."

Banachek glared at him. He didn't know how he got the chief to approve this—the chief was not a soft man, nor did he get intimidated so quickly and easily—but, as far as Banachek was concerned, this wasn't acceptable. Whatever McGarrett was doing, there was another angle he wasn't seeing. It was making his gut unsettled.

"Fine," Banachek said, as if it was his decision, "Three minutes. We'll be watching from behind the glass."

McGarrett smirked, raising his head a little higher as if taking the warning as a challenge. He then bypassed Banachek and entered the interrogation room. Banachek hurried to the room behind the two-way mirror, hoping to catch McGarrett doing something that would cut his three minutes short.

*.*.*.*

"So what do you have to do with all of this?" Danny asked, struggling with the thick tape around his wrists.

"Shut your yap," the man said, pushing Danny forward with his tone.

Despite the silent threat to move faster, Danny tried, inconspicuously, to slow his pace. The closer he got to this guy, the better chance he had of getting the gun out of his hand. However, the possibility was pointless to think about if he couldn't get the duct tape off his wrists.

"Okay, but you're getting a raw deal here."

"Would you like me to put a bullet in your head now? Is that the only way to shut your mouth?"

Danny slowed his pace a little more, hiding the fact by pretending to trip over a rock.

"As opposed to later?" Danny said, grunting out the words as he recovered from his fake trip.

The armed man behind him may have thought he was being mysterious, but Danny could see his short-term plans as easily as he could see the blue sky above him. The ocean's roars were getting louder and Danny could see the edge of a cliff in the distance. He could put two and two together.

"You're choice," the man said, but Danny knew that his captor would do his best to get Danny to the cliff's edge before he shot him.

The closer Danny was to the edge, the less amount of time his captor would have to spend carry him to it. It was simple logic. With this in mind, Danny felt courageous enough to push the armed man a little more.

"My choice? None of this would be _my choice_. I don't even like Hawaii—I don't want to die here."

"Then why'd you come here?" the man asked, irritated.

"Work." Danny lied, "It's always work."

"You couldn't get work anywhere else?"

He sounded skeptical.

"Hey, it's a tough economy. I can't afford to leave to a more tolerable place…like Maine." Danny said.

"Maine?"

"What? You have a problem with Maine?"

"You're the dumbest cop I have ever killed."

Danny bristled at that. The thirst for vengeance was already making his heart pound. You didn't have to know a cop to be his brother, and Danny felt deep, personal rage demanding he take justice into his own hands. However, even if his moral standpoint didn't contradict this feeling, he knew he had to stay cool and collected if he wanted to get out of this mess.

"Because I like Maine?" Danny asked after a few seconds too long, "That doesn't make me dumb. It makes me practical."

"You're an idiot. Now. Shut. UP."

"Me shut up? Why don't YOU shut up!"

His captor began cursing in another language, his tone seething. Danny was about to egg him on a little more, when a bird burst from the tree tops. The armed man startled ever so slightly, and Danny took advantage of it. Stepping back, he pinned his captor's foot to the ground and pushed his armed hand out of the way as he swung his tied up fists into his face for one massive punch. It made his captor stumble and bend over. Before he could stand up, Danny tackled him to the ground, kicking the gun away. Danny managed to get two punches in, but his enemy got several more in. Even in his dumbfounded state, he had the anger and precision to bruise Danny's face and stomach. Eventually, Danny had to face the fact that he wasn't going to win this one, and gave one, agonizing punch to the man's neck. His captor convulsed at that, and Danny used the extra seconds he had to stumble to his feet and head for the trees. A few steps later he was running, and then he was sprinting.

_BANG_

He heard more than felt the bullet enter his shoulder. Danny didn't give it much thought, having his focus mainly on increasing his speed and distance. The pain wasn't registering in his brain. He wasn't even fully aware of the blood that soaked into his shirt.

_Faster. Faster. Faster…_

*.*.*.*

"My partner—the one that cop killed in the girl's room—he tazed the haole's face, not me. I wasn't even in the room."

"You were standing outside the door," Steve said, his words meant to be condescending, but conveying a secret meaning. The fake cop in front of him—Hiroto Kinjo—and Steve knew the secret, and it scared Kinjo as much as it satisfied Steve, "So you must have saw someone taking Former Detective Williams out of the room."

Kinjo nodded, hesitant before speaking.

"It was Victor Hess."

Steve's eyes were piercing, angering emotions erupting around his pupils while his face didn't so much as twitch. He nodded—his demand for Kinjo to continue.

"He was ordered by Taylor to take the haole out—outside of the hospital. I don't know where he took him—I swear."

"I believe you," Steve said, having seen the truth in Kinjo's eyes, "That will be all."

When he stepped out of the interrogation room, Steve couldn't help but feel pleased with Banachek's shocked expression. He wished he had the time to push the detective's buttons further, but Steve had a blonde haole to find.

"Can we get security footage from the hospital?" Steve asked, making it sound more like a demand than a question.

"Yeah, _we_ can," Banachek said, "but you are not—"

"Consider me an asset," Steve said, angling his way around the detective before striding own the hallway, "That's the Governor's orders.

He heard Banachek stuttering in the background; asking questions, but not finishing them. Steve didn't pause to listen. Instead, he quickened his speed, intending to get to Chin and Kono as soon as possible to give them an update. However, when he finally did reach them, something twisted in his stomach. This wasn't the same thing as approaching his men with orders. This was more personal. Danny was their friend—his, too. How was he supposed to tell them that a man like Victor Hess had kidnapped him from the hospital to kill him? If statistics and timelines meant anything, Danny was probably already dead by now. The thought made him cold.

"What'd you find out?" Chin asked him.

"A man named Victor Hess has Danny," Steve said, his voice deceptively impassive, "Do you know of him?"

"The name sounds familiar, but—"

"He's a drug dealer, a contract killer, a terrorist, an asset of enemy countries, and he is known for his kidnappings."

Kono looked as sick as Steve felt, though probably for different reasons. He felt guilty for not catching this killer, and now Danny was going to pay the price. So many innocent people have paid the price for his failures.

"What are the chances of survival with Hess?" Chin asked, his tone conveying the fear his face did not show.

As vague and confusing as the question was, Steve immediately knew what the older man meant.

_Will Hess leave Danny alive?_

"Not good," Steve said, protecting Chin from a more despairing answer, "That's why we need to find him now."

"Do you think Danny…" Kono began, cringing at what the pause implied.

"We'll worry about that later." Steve said, "Right now, we need to figure out where Hess would take a former cop."

"Probably somewhere secluded," Chin said, his detective persona playing its part, "No witnesses. Scarce chance at finding a body."

"The mountains," Steve said, nodding at the possibility. Neither he nor Chin were paying much attention to Kono, who clenched her hands together at the word "body." Mentally reviewing what he knew of Hess, Steve nodded again, "Yeah, that sounds like his MO. He takes Danny up to the mountains, knowing he has limited time before the cops realize he's missing, and knowing that there's going to more attention on his disappearance when Mary and I end up dead."

"So he needs to go somewhere nearby." Chin added.

"He'll also want to go somewhere near a private airport." Steve said, "He knows that he is a national threat, that people are always looking for him—he'll want to leave his most recent crime as soon as he can."

"Mountains, private airport, nearby," Chin concluded, scratching his cheek with thought.

"Jalene," Kono blurted, grabbing Chin's arm with a look of panic, "Jalene is always advertising her airport and plane around."

"And it happens to be located near some mountains," Chin said, his words quickened with urgency.

"Which mountains?" Steve asked, already running for the door.


	22. Chapter 22

**Thanks francis2 for your review. And thank you all who story-favorited, story-alerted, etc. :) We're almost done here, folks! Probably only one or two more chapters to go! A _Merry Christmas_ to those who celebrate it, and a _Happy Holidays _to those who don't! ;)**

Explaining that the ambassador never had any real threats against him took longer than Steve hoped it would. He ended up leaving his fellow SEALs with more questions than answers, but they managed to understand that their need in Japan was false. Steve ordered them to remain there anyway just in case. The Ambassador, so grateful of his service to him, had managed to persuade the chief of police to allow Steve to take part in the case. The chief had fought against this persuasion for several minutes, but finally relented with restrained anger. Steve knew it was wise to tread lightly now, seeing as the chief always seemed to be on the verge of explosion, but it had never been in his nature to behave with unnecessary caution. And, while this behavior couldn't get Kono and Chin access to the case, it did get Steve a helicopter and a group of capable police officers.

They hovered over dense jungle now. More specifically, they hovered over a dirt road that climbed and curved its way to the mountain's top. His hearing impaired by the helicopter rotors, Steve had to rely on his vision to find their targets. The trees were constantly twitching with small creatures and the dirt road was fairly thin from where he was staring at it, but Steve's focus never faltered.

"There!" Steve called a second after the pilot announced the discovery, pointing at Hess's car.

_"Descending to suspect's vehicle,"_ the pilot said before the helicopter dipped down.

*.*.*.*

Danny was slowing down, a realization that should have panic him, but it annoyed him instead. His lungs were already burning with the putrid scents of seawater and tropical pollen; his entire body was trembling under the heavy layer of cold sweat; and, if that weren't bad enough, the mangled forest floor was making footing impossible. He kept tripping up every few steps. At least the pain in his shoulder was numb (a fact he would have to worry about later).

The bright light seeped through the treetops and blinded Danny every so few seconds. As if bleeding and being chased down by a maniac wasn't bad enough, he had to get his eyes burned by that unnatural brightness, too?

_I hate Hawaii._

It was with this thought that Danny's foot landed awkwardly on a root. Before he could correct his mistake, his body was twisting down into an uncatchable fall. Unfortunately, he had traveled far enough where the mountainous terrain was heading downward, and when his body hit the ground, it didn't stop falling. The world spun in distorting colors, and the earth punched his body every other second. In the background, he thought he heard a mechanical roar, but his head smacked against a rock before he could think more of it.

*.*.*.*

The helicopter tore itself from gravity's pull, raising itself higher in the sky. Below it, Steve and the other police officers were observing the grounds. He was looking over the car with a couple of the officers. The VIN number was scratched into an undecipherable blur and nothing personal or distinguishable was found inside the vehicle. It was a typical result, one that didn't surprise Steve, but he stood over an officer's shoulder in hopes something informative could be found. After a few seconds of this, Steve mentally shook himself out of it and walked away. _Hoping_ wouldn't help Danny. He had to get answers and the only way that was going to happen was if he thought rationally. He set his mind as such and continued on.

"We got blood over here!"

Steve's head shot up. His eyes landed on the officer for a mere second before snapping over to the blood splatter that stained a tree's bark. A conflicting moment of relief and dread came over him before Steve numbed his emotional state and hurried over to the blood. Another officer joined him in his approach, but Steve paid little attention to him, his analytical mind focused on the spots of blood littered over the ground.

"So, the victim escapes," an officer said, motioning over to where signs of a struggle were discovered earlier. Then the officer pointed down a vague direction in the jungle as he continued, "the perpetrator shoots him, but the victim keeps going. He's probably only suffering a flesh wound if he doesn't even hesitate at being shot."

Steve nodded his agreement, staring off into the distance that Danny's blood-trail continued off to.

"And then the perpetrator pursued him." the officer finished.

"Okay, we need to divide into two teams," Steve said, turning to address the officers nearest to him, "One team will follow the blood-trail, the other will take a shortcut to where both Danny and Hess will most likely end up."

"How can you know where they'll end up?" an officer asked, sounding suspicious.

"I didn't say I _know_," Steve said, a defensive bite to his tone, "I know these mountains though. I used to hike out here with my dad all the time…. Given the circumstances, and given that Danny knows nothing of this region, I have an idea of where he might end up."

"Fine," the officer said after a moment of bitter skepticism, "You want to pick your 'team' too or—"

"Yeah, actually, that'll be great," Steve interrupted.

His eyes scanned the group before him and, quickly going over what he already knew of each person, he pointed to each one he wanted to accompany him. They all looked confused and they all hesitated, but after one harsh order from Steve, they were at his heels in a matter of seconds.

*.*.*.*

Hess was patient as he made his way through the tropical brush. As agitated as he was about losing the ex-cop, he knew the odds were in his favor. The ex-cop not only had limited use of his hands and arms, he was also losing blood. Sooner or later, Hess would catch up to him. Then he'll just get it over with and put a bullet in the blonde's brain, like he should have done in the first place.

Muffled noises—foreign to the jungle around him—had Hess stopping in his tracks. For a few seconds, he thought he had finally caught up with his victim. However, it became evident that the muffled noises were multiple voices, speaking with calm authority. Not only that, but they were coming from behind him, not in front of him. Hess turned.

_More cops._

Hess could hear the tentative _snaps_ of boots breaking twigs. His shoulders tensed at the sound, knowing it meant that his enemies were closer than he originally thought. He didn't have a lot of time to make a decision—go after the ex-cop or make a run for it—so he went on instinct rather than thought.

He turned left and ran.

*.*.*.*

_"Daddy! Daddy, look at what Santa brought me!"_

_Grace was jumping up and down excitedly. Her thin arms coiled around the pink box, making it concave ever so slightly under the pressure. She kept hopping around, like all four year-olds did on Christmas morning, crushing her present against her with the purest love Danny had ever seen._

_"Can you believe it?" Grace asked them, though she had yet to actually show him her beloved gift, "Santa knew exactly what I wanted!"_

_"Of course he did, sweetheart," Rachel said, sitting against the back wall next to their Christmas tree, "He always knows exactly what you want. And you've been the best little girl this year."_

_"I have! I have!" Grace squealed._

She's forgetting her other presents. Could have saved a lot of money by just getting her the _Barbie, Danny thought with amusement._

_"Daddy! Daddy! Look what Santa brought me!"_

_"Of course, sweetheart. He always knows exactly what you want."_

_The apartment wasn't huge to begin with, but something about it felt smaller. The tree was too big, the furniture too small, and Rachel's robe was the wrong color. It was a bright pink color; the same color that Grace held in her small hands. And that was another thing—Grace wasn't so small anymore. Awareness, like a tired slug, was slow and hesitant in approach, and the contentedness Danny was feeling was too soothing to pull away from by purposeful action. He took in a deep breath, desiring the scent of gingerbread cookies and the perfume he bought Rachel for that morning, but instead the thick stench of moist dirt intruded his nostrils._

_"Santa knew exactly what I wanted!"_

_"This is the best Christmas ever," Rachel said from…somewhere._

_"Rachel?" Danny asked, startled, but not worried, to find her missing._

_"I have! I have!" Grace shouted again from…somewhere._

_"Grace?"_

_Again, Danny wasn't worried. Surprised, confused…maybe even a little sad, but he wasn't worried. Deep down, he knew his girls were safe, even if he couldn't see it at the moment._

_Birds screeched at him from his window and Danny jumped. His eyes snapping over to the window, he felt his jaw go slack at the sight. Outside his apartment was not his beloved city, it was sand; lots and lots of sand._

_"What?"_

_Like a picture dying within a flame, his surroundings faded into a distorted image of light and darkness…._

*.*.*.*

Danny groaned, awaking to a head-splitting migraine. He wanted to move, but found his entire body was stiff with pain. Light penetrated through his eyelids and he was helpless to turn and escape the harsh brightness.

_Grace._

There was something about Grace in the edges of his mind. Whatever it was, it eluded his mental grasp, leaving him confused.

_Gracie? Rachel? Wha…What happened?_

He managed to peel his eyes open for a second before shutting them again. Burned by the light, his eyes produced heavy tears behind his eyelids. Ever rebellious, Danny opened his eyes again and tried to keep them open for a longer amount of time. He failed. Unconsciousness came unwillingly, holding Danny's eyelids closed and forcing his mind to shut down.

*.*.*.*

Steve and his team reached the target location in an impressive amount of time. So quickly had they reached the location, Steve wasn't surprised to find no signs of Danny or Hess. He assumed they had beaten them to the spot. He let the officers patrol the area in case they were overlooking something, but he thought their best bet was to wait and intercept Danny when he reached them.

Ten minutes later—still no Danny.

Steve frowned at the predicted direction Danny was supposed to come from. For a few seconds, Steve had a difficult time comprehending that he had made a mistake. He was sure he had enough factors to calculate an intercepting point for Danny. He pushed down the fear and guilt before it reached his throat and forced his mind create a new plan of action.

"Commander, there's nothing here," one of the officers said, his round of patrol complete.

"I know." Steve said, "Something must have happened."

His fear came back through his words and it took Steve a moment too long to swallow it back down. He couldn't fear for Danny now. He had to stay focused. If Danny was still alive…he needed Steve to _stay focused_.

"Come on," Steve ordered, moving towards where he believed Danny would be.

The officers followed, being as cautious as Steve as they quietly made their ways through the jungle.

The birds were chirping madly—a sign that there was no threat in the area. This had Steve doubting himself. He had been so sure that he understood Hess's MO—he thought he knew these mountains like the back of his hand—he thought he knew Danny. Steve, frustrated and confused enough to allow doubt deter his thinking, had to admit that he may have made an error in judgment. After all, he still couldn't swallow the idea of his mother being murdered, and the evidence had always been there. How could he be so certain about this? Steve shuddered at the thought, pausing to allow nausea to overwhelm momentarily. Then he shook it off and continued on.

_Stay focused_, Steve ordered himself, grinding his teeth, _Stay focused._

A hint of a sound had Steve freezing in place. When the ruffles of the officers' feet meeting vegetation covered the mysterious sound, Steve ordered them still with a swift motion of his hand. Then it was quiet…

then a groan.

"Come on," Steve said, already speeding to where the groan had emitted from.

He would have hurried right passed Danny if the blonde hadn't groaned again. He was covered in dirt and plants, camouflaged on the jungle floor. Immense relief washed over Steve as he fell on his knees to reach the blonde.

"Danny," he said, brushing off the blonde's face and torso to get a better look at him.

Danny groaned again. Steve saw the light that shone down on Danny's eyelids and moved appropriately so his body casted a shadow over Danny's face.

"We've found Detective Williams," one of the officers said into her radio, ignorant of her mistake.

"Give him some room," Steve ordered when they began crowding around the blonde. He only let their paramedic get close enough to Danny to examine him, "Come on, Danny."

Danny peeled his eyes open, a groan choked back in his throat. He blinked a few times, confused, but then his eyes widen with panic. Before Steve could say anything, he was punched in the face.

"Mr. Williams!" the paramedic called, holding down the blonde's shoulders, "Mr. Williams, you're safe now! We are the police!"

Steve watched Danny relax at that, still confused but no longer as afraid.

"Danny?" Steve questioned, preparing himself for another assault.

Danny gawked at him, perhaps unaware of the paramedic prodding his form.

"Steve?"

Steve grinned, so full of his relief he nearly fell over. He almost laughed at it all, but managed to restrain himself as he rubbed his sore jaw.

"Guess we're even now, huh?" he joked, taking great comfort when Danny glared at him.

"Not even close." the blonde grumbled.


	23. Chapter 23

**Thank you guys for your reviews. And thank you Qweb for pointing out my error (got it fixed up :)). And, also, thank you all who story-favorited, story-alerted, etc.**

**The rest of my author's note will be at the end of this chapter due to spoilers, but I did want to say that this is the final chapter of "Nalo!" Thank you guys who have stuck with me this long. I hope you've really enjoyed this story and I hope you enjoy this last chapter.**

_Months later…_

Steve stood in front of the Ali'iolani Hale building, near a tree that gave him no shade. The wind caressed his hair like it caressed the treetops, and he sighed out his own breathy wind in response. The sun bore down on the back of his head, but its temperature and brightness was soothing. As he let his surroundings relax him, Steve observed the building with a hawk's eye. He analyzed every crack in every brick. He wasn't nervous, but something similar to the emotion was making his nerves shot. Perhaps he was…excited? Hopeful? Those sounded more accurate, but still not quite right.

_It's been a long few months_, Steve observed to himself.

Danny was okay; that certainly was a relief. Considering everything that happened, Steve couldn't help but be grateful that the worse of Danny's injuries had been a gunshot wound to the shoulder and a few cracked ribs. The former detective had even talked in his sleep while he was under, which, according to the doctors, was a good sign. While unconscious, Kono kissed the top of his blonde head several times like a frightened mother and later threatened both Chin and Steve to remain silent about her affectionate actions. Steve agreed, only because he couldn't blame her. It had been a close call. Besides, even Chin seemed like he wanted to kiss the top of Danny's head, but settled with holding his ex-partner's arm in a reassuring grip.

Mary had woken up a few days later. As foreign and awkward as it was, Steve hugged her with everything he had. So overwhelmed with relief, he nearly cried, but managed to keep himself composed as his groggy sister fought harder against unconsciousness. It wasn't until a week and a half later could Mary remain conscious and coherent for multiple hours. After the reunion and explanations, Mary had told him about Maui.

"_A day or so after dad…I got a box from him." she said._

"_What?" _

_Mary shook her head, appearing as confused as Steve felt._

_"He sent it a few days before he…I don't know. I didn't really care at the time. I was so mad at him for everything. I couldn't bring myself to care what he thought to send me, so I just stuffed in the closet and forgot about it."_

_Regret filled her eyes in thick tears, but she managed to hold them back._

_"On the anniversary of mom's death," Mary continued, choking on the last few words, "I got really drunk and angry and I just tore into that box like it was dad's head and…."_

_This time a few tears did escape Mary's eyes. Steve touched her arm. Even after all these years, he hated to see his little sister cry. He suggested they wait a while longer—let her rest some more—before she continued with her story, but she refused._

_"This needs to be done now," Mary said, fighting down the sobs that promised to overwhelm her. Swallowing, Mary stared into Steve's eyes, "He…he sent me mom's case file."_

_"Her case file?"_

_"Of the car accident…it…it wasn't an accident Steve."_

_Ice encased his heart. It didn't matter that Steve heard his father say it over a decade prior. That fact—and, yes, it was a fact—that his mother was murdered would always make him cold._

_"She was murdered, Steve. Someone…someone killed our mom."_

_Mary gave herself a few moments to sob, grieving over the tragedy of it all. Steve hugged her again, feeling less awkward, and she cried into his shoulder. As the seconds passed, the ice within his chest melted under the growing fire of his anger. _Why_ would his father send the case file to Mary—a civilian—when Steve was a Navy SEAL? When he had the experience and sources to deal with such horrible news? Why did his father make all of the awful decisions that he did? Didn't he realize what misery they would bring?_

_"After looking it over," Mary continued, pulling away from Steve and forcing breath into her tight lungs, "I remembered that, the day she died, she had been planning on going to Maui to visit that friend of hers. So, I called her—Linda Myers—and rented her beach house—the one mom was going to visit. I looked over the house, I asked Linda questions, I looked over the case file again and again and again…I got nowhere."_

_"Why didn't you call me?"_

_"I…I wanted to, but dad sent it to me and I thought…I don't know, Steve, I just…I don't know."_

_Steve let out a silent sigh._

After Mary had fully recovered, Steve sent her to the mainland—much to her dismay—and went to Maui for himself. He didn't find any answers either in regards to their mother's murder. In fact, he didn't even find the case file Mary claimed she hid behind the refrigerator. After Steve told her as much, Mary promised him, over and over, that she hid the file behind the fridge with the intention of returning to the house after she dealt with Steve's injuries.

Having already met up with his fellow SEALs, Jeff and Sam, and becoming officially retired from his bodyguard position, Steve went on the reserves. His focus was too set on finding Hess, the last connection he had to the murders and attempted murders of him and his family, for Steve to partake in another mission. Having saved up a lot of money for emergencies, Steve went back to the states to where he believed Hess was hiding. Before he left, however, he managed to convince Kono to take some of his money as a student loan for her to finish her education at the academy. He also had a conversation with the very grateful Japanese Ambassador, who assured him of his political connections and promised Steve anything he could ever want. While that promise turned out to be somewhat faulty, the Ambassador did follow through with one of Steve's request.

"Mr. Garrett!"

Steve had heard the small footsteps, but he honestly didn't think they would be heading in his direction. He turned around just in time for a small girl to crash into his abdomen. Startled, Steve stared down at the girl, who clung to him so earnestly he thought for sure they must be related. Hurried movement in the background had Steve raising his gaze, and he couldn't help but grin at the familiar face.

"Gracie! Sweetheart!" Danny called, jogging over to them in a hesitant, embarrassed way. He stared at Steve apologetically, but Steve's hand was already on top of the girl's head; an assurance that there was nothing to apologize for. Regardless, Danny placed his hands on his daughter's shoulders, gently tugging her back until she was closer to him than Steve, "Grace, we don't hug people we barely know. It's not polite."

"Oh. I'm sorry, Mr. Garrett," Grace said, staring up at Steve with a red face.

Steve smiled, not having the heart to correct her.

"It's okay, sweetie. I don't mind getting a hug from you."

She grinned at him before staring up at her father with a smug look.

"Don't look at me like that," Danny said, playfully authoritative as he ruffled his daughter's hair, "_Commander_ _McGarrett_ is a rare, unusual exception. Now, why don't you go pick those daisies over there for your mom."

"Okay, daddy," Grace said before running over to the wild daisies.

"You know," Steve said, watching the young girl run off before looking at Danny, "they don't like it when you pick the flowers."

"Please, she's not picking flowers, she's picking weeds. She's doing them a favor."

Steve smirked, shaking his head. Danny, who had yet to return his gaze to him, did so now with a serious expression on his face. Steve watched him, curious about the surprise visit.

"How did you know I'd be here?" Steve asked.

"What? Is it inconceivable to you that my daughter and I just _happened_ to be walking by when we spotted you with your aneurysm-face staring off into space?"

Steve cocked an eyebrow at him, and Danny, as nonchalantly as he could, crumbled.

"Fine. Chin told me that you were meeting the Governor today and I just…" Danny shrugged, glancing awkwardly over at his daughter, "…never got the chance to thank you…for getting her back to me."

Steve followed his gaze to where Grace was picking flowers.

"It was the least I could do…after everything that happened." Steve said.

"You did save my life," Danny pointed out, glancing over at him from the corner of his eye.

A stab of guilt stiffened Steve's face.

"After I put it in danger."

"Hey," Danny said, turning to him, "None of that was your fault."

Steve didn't say anything to that. While it wasn't directly his fault, Steve had to accept the responsibility of all the danger his presence put people in. He had a part in it, however unwillingly, and he was going to have to accept the fact that, until he destroyed the danger that surrounded his family name, he was a toxin to those around him.

"So," Danny said after a moment. The change in tone had Steve turning to him, "did you find what you were looking for in Maui."

"No. It was a dead end."

Danny sighed in sympathy.

"Well, whatever I can do, you let me know, okay?"

Steve nearly snorted at that, but managed to refrain himself from doing so. Even if he thought Danny could help him, he didn't think he would ever ask.

"Okay." Steve said.

"Don't lie to me, Steven. I mean it."

Steve nodded.

"I know you do."

Needing an escape, Steve glanced down at his watch. As luck would have it, it was time for him to go.

"Alright, well, I've got a meeting to get to," Steve said, tilting his head towards the building.

"Well, by all means, don't let me keep you from your big, fancy meeting with the Governor," Danny said, the bite of sarcasm softened by warmth. Steve smirked. Before he left, Danny patted him on the shoulder, stopping him in his tracks, "Good luck, Steve. And…thanks again."

Steve smiled, patting Danny's shoulder in return.

*.*.*.*

"Thank you, Commander McGarrett, for coming in on such short notice." Governor Jameson said.

Steve nodded, his posture stiff and unwavering against the motion.

The office was large and bright. The windows behind the Governor's dark, gleaming desk were opened, inviting in sunshine and the sweet sound of chirping birds. Steve could only reflect on how dangerous it was for someone of her political status to sit so closely to open windows, but he refrained from comment.

"Please," the Governor said, motioning to the leather chair Steve stood next to, "take a seat."

Steve nodded again and took a seat. His posture had yet to bend in a more comfortable position.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I've called for you," she said, continuing when Steve gave no indication of interrupting, "I heard that you had returned to Hawaii and knew I only had a limited amount of time to reach you before you left again…. You see, I am starting a task force for this island."

Steve's face cringed, portraying his curiosity and confusion.

"It's been approved," the Governor continued, "but I have yet to recruit a leader for this task force…until now, I am hoping."

Steve shook his head.

"With all due respect," he began, lifting his hand as a further act of refusal.

"Here me out," Jameson interrupted, raising her own hand as if she could physically cut off his sentence, "I know you're after Victor Hess, I know why, and I know you think he's in Hawaii."

Steve's face cringed again, only this time it was out of suspicion.

"We think he's here, too," she said, her tone cautious under his defensive gaze, "I want to start a police force that isn't limited by wasteful procedures and jurisdiction. That is how guys like Hess get away—right under our noses."

Steve relaxed fractionally at her words, an appeal for them sprouting in his mind.

"I know both of your parents were murdered here, and I am terribly sorry for your losses. But the answers you're looking for are, most likely, going to be here, where it all took place. Not in New York, New Hampshire, or any other state."

Steve refrained from glaring, though defensiveness returned to his frame. He had never been appreciative of people who knew him better than he knew them. It was an occupational hazard, as well as a result from a tragic past.

"Look," Jameson said with a sigh, "We can help each other. I want to get people like Hess off my island. If you do that, I will give you all the resources you could ever want and I won't even ask what you're using them for. I can give you power typical law enforcement have to jump through hoops to obtain."

She paused then, waiting for his answer. Instead, Steve had a question.

"Why me?"

Jameson leant back in her chair, a fond smile gracing her lips.

"A few months ago, I was first impressed by your politics."

"My politics?"

"How you managed to get Mr. Williams partial custody of his daughter through a series of connections, starting with Ambassador Sato," she clarified with a smirk, "That sort of thing impresses me. I looked deeper into your records and was further impressed by your military background and your successes, though I know some of that is _need to know_. By that time, I had already gotten authorization to create my task force and thought you would be the best candidate as its leader. I did some further research to see what I could offer you to take the position. And what I'm offering is exactly what you need right now. Am I wrong?"

Steve glanced down at his feet, mulling it over. He didn't like the idea of being manipulated into a position, but, then again, she wasn't exactly doing that. Even if she was, she was being forefront about it; a quality he couldn't help but appreciate.

"What do you say, Commander McGarrett?" she asked.

Steve looked back up at her. This was an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, one he should think over more, but one he also knew would be best made under instinct.

"On one condition." He said.

"Anything."

"I get to pick my own team."

"Of course," Jameson said, nodding at the idea with enthusiastic encouragement, "Do you have anyone in mind?"

A knowing smirk crossed Steve's lips.

"I actually have a few people in mind."

**THE END**

SPOILER ALERT (for this story) BELOW

**You guys have been really great. :) I wish you all the best.**

**Sincerely,**

**authorintraining7**


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